


TTYLXOX

by IvyNyx



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Child Abuse, F/F, Fluff, Gangs, M/M, Sexual Abuse, Underage Smoking, cross-dressing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-09-23 13:44:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9659918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyNyx/pseuds/IvyNyx
Summary: Mal, Evie, jay and Carlos all grew up in the same town. One party brought them all together, now their newly formed bonds will be tested by everything from maniacal parents to past emotional abuse. Non-Magical A/U.





	1. The Party

**Author's Note:**

> This is a WIP (of about eight months already) I have about 40k words written and will try to post updates once a week or so. It all started with a brain fart cause by the song TTYLXOX by Bella Thorne. It was my working title, but I decided screw it and made it the actual title. I don't know where this story is going but I do know the ending for what it's worth. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Beta'd by 2BlueberryLover2; for some reason I had a brain fart and forgot her, sorry!

“Hey, party at Audrey's tonight. Seven o'clock!” Evie said spotting her best friend Carlos in the hall of their school.  
“Okay, she hates me.” Carlos reminded her.  
“Whole school is invited, even you” Evie smiled.  
“Well then I'll be there” Carlos laughed, he hated going out but he had promised Evie that the next party he was invited to he'd go. Just his luck it would be the biggest party of the year at the most popular girl in school's house.  
“Wear something nice!” Evie said walking past him to class. Carlos grinned, “I will” he yelled to her retreating back. “Oh boy will I ever,” he said to himself while walking to his own class.

 

At 6 o'clock Carlos tore through his closet, he knew what he wanted to wear now he just needed to find it. At last, he spotted the bag in the back of his closet. He yanked it out and unzipped it, smiling when he saw the dark green fabric. Evie said to dress nicely, she never said he had to dress like a guy. He pulled the dress on before going to find suitable shoes. He only owned one pair of ladies dress shoes, solid black heels would work with his dress, but he wanted something with more pop.

 

Silently he walked to his mom's room. He knocked, silently hoping to himself that she wouldn't be there, no such luck as she called out a shrill “come in”.  
Carlos pushed the door open and stepped in, “Hey momma, party tonight, can I borrow some silver heels?”  
“You know when I said I wished I had a daughter I didn't want you to turn into one” she muttered, before speaking up to add, “go ahead”  
Carlos pretended not to hear her first comment and walked into her closet. His mother was a fashion designer with a closet bigger than his bedroom. He walked in and found the shoes he wanted in a matter of seconds, as an after though he grabbed a small purse on a long silver chain.  
“I grabbed a purse too, I'll give them back tomorrow, thanks,” he said walking out and shutting the door before she could make any more comments. He was grateful she was mostly supportive of him no matter what he did, but the offhanded comments occasionally hurt more than they should.

 

Walking back into his room he brushed out his hair, solid black to his ears, the white tips brushed his shoulders. It fell in soft ringlets that Evie often complained she wanted in her own wavy blue hair. He looked at his makeup collection before deciding to ignore it. He'd never gone out to an event where he knew people, besides Evie, in a dress. His phone chirped alerting him to a new text.

 

Blueberry: U btr b rdy 2 go  
Carlos: Just need shoes, I'll be there TTYLXOX

 

He typed his reply quickly before tossing the phone on his bed and grabbing the shoes from his mom. He pulled on the silver heels then tossed his phone, wallet, smokes and lighter into the purse before slinging it over his shoulder. At six forty he left his house, he thought about walking but decided his skateboard was a faster option. He grabbed the deck with a grin, he remembered the first time Evie had seen him skateboard in heels, she was sure he'd kill himself. He couldn't do any tricks, but he could get from A to B no matter what was on his feet.

 

As he rolled into Audrey's driveway he kicked the board up into his hand, a few heads turned to look at him before going back to their own conversations. He leaned against a telephone pole and waited for Evie to show up. Five minutes later her mother's black car pulled up and she stepped out of the passenger side door.

 

She'd decided on a bottle green dress. The torso was tight with only one shoulder, sleeveless as usual for Evie. The skirt part fell loosely to her knees, black heels brought the look together. Carlos started laughing, he calmed as she walked over to him.  
“I dunno which of us wears it best” he joked  
“You, I should have thought to use silver accessories!” Evie lamented while Carlos continued to hold back laughter. Just his luck he finally wears a dress around his peers and he matches his best friend.  
“We'll call it a new trend, might give me a good excuse when the Jocks start giving me shit,” Carlos said.  
“Ehh, if they bug you just kiss them” Evie laughed grabbing his hand to pull him inside.

 

Inside Carlos crammed his board inside a closet near the door. Evie was quickly pulled away from him by her friends. They were in a hardly finished basement, loud music filled the air alongside the smell of cigarettes and alcohol. Carlos walked along the wall until he found a spot near the dance floor. To his surprise over an hour into the dance all he'd gotten were compliments on his dress. He was sure he'd be beaten up inside the first ten minutes.

 

“Got you a drink,” Evie said walking up next to him. He gladly took the red cup and drained it, it burned all the way down.  
“Dude that was like six shots,” Evie told him  
“Good, maybe that will convince me to dance,” Carlos said  
“how about I convince you to dance?” she took his cup and handed it to someone walking past before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the mass of writhing bodies. Carlos smiled and went along, he thought about fighting but he loved to dance. The two of them spun around the floor, Carlos switching between masculine and feminine moves without a second thought. Evie smirked when she noticed one guy kept watching her friend.

 

“Next spin, look by the mushroom poster, guy with long black hair,” Evie said seconds before she spun Carlos out. Luckily he heard her in time to look.  
“No way someone who is that good-looking goes to our school, I'd have noticed him by now”  
“Oh good, you should talk to him, he's been watching you for like ten minutes already”  
“Maybe he's watching you” Carlos fired back  
“Just trust me, maybe if you go near him he'll talk to you”  
“Maybe if I go near him I'll have to hear a bunch of derogatory shit about being in a dress”  
“Only one way to find out, besides the best way to get over Chad would be to get under whoever the hell that is”  
“You know I could tell you the same thing about whatshername?” Carlos asked.  
“Don't worry about me, I'll find someone here?” Evie told him, “in fact, I think I'll go look around now”. With that, she twirled away from him.

 

Carlos sighed and walked over to the wall a good distance from the guy Evie had pointed out, he didn't look like the type that would want to talk to a guy in a dress, maybe hit one, but not talk. He wished Evie had either kept dancing with him or left him with another drink. He didn't know anyone here besides her. He always hung out with the nerds and outcasts, they didn't come to parties like this even if they were invited. With a small sigh, he dug out his smokes and sparked one. He smiled a little as the smoke flowed from his nostrils. It was rare he smoked inside, it was kinda fun to watch when the wind didn't immediately sweep it away.

 

“Can I borrow a light?” a voice asked next to him, he handed his lighter over without looking up.  
“Thanks, I like the dress, most of the guys here wouldn't have the balls to wear one.”  
Carlos took back his lighter and looked to see who was attempting to talk to him. He nearly fell off his heels when he saw the dark-haired guy Evie had pointed out to him.  
“Thanks, I'm surprised I haven't been beaten up yet.”  
“Despite the dress, you look like you could hold your own pretty well”  
Carlos laughed, “I do okay until the majority of the football team gangs up on me. Then it's locker-ville”  
The guy smiled, “Sounds like you probably know my cousin”.  
“Depends on who your cousin is? And did your parents think to give you a name?” Carlos asked with a grin.  
“Aziz is my cousin, and it took them awhile, but they finally settled on Jayden, everyone calls me Jay, though.”  
“Yeah, I've met him a few times. I'm Carlos” Carlos said looking at Jay. Aziz was one of his top bullies.

 

“He's an asshole, I know, but he's family, really fucking distant family. He made me come to this thing, only good thing was him letting my best friend Mal come too. But she ditched me right after we got here, hence my spot along the wall of shame.”  
Carlos laughed, “The wall is nicer than some of the people here”  
“The wall is nicer than most of the people here” Jay fired back with a grin. “So that girl you were dancing with” Jay started, Carlos held back a groan, the usual 'is she single' would show up any second. “That your girl?”  
“Nope, that's my best friend, fashion consultant, and occasional make-up artist,” Carlos said.  
Jay laughed, “So if I wanted to dance with you she won't mind?”  
“You'd seriously dance with a guy in a dress?” Carlos couldn't believe his ears.  
“If he wants to,” Jay said holding out his hand.  
“Hell yes, he wants to!” Carlos said taking the offered hand, he wasn’t sure if it was him or the alcohol but dancing sounded fantastic.

 

Four songs later Carlos paused and yanked off his shoes, he tossed them towards the wall.  
“What if someone steals them?”  
“I skate home barefoot and avoid my mom for a few days, they're her shoes,” Carlos said with a spin.  
“You skated over here, in heels?” Jay asked, disbelief clear in his voice.  
“Yeah, it's not that hard”  
“I can't even walk in the things. Of course, I can't skateboard either” Jay said.  
“I could show you sometimes” Carlos offered.  
“Which thing?” Jay asked.  
“Both, just not together. At least not at first”

 

They stopped dancing and Carlos pulled his shoes back on. Jay headed into an area that amounted to a living room and sat on the couch.  
“You could sit on my lap if you want” Jay offered  
Carlos raised an eyebrow but sat anyway. He smiled when Jay wrapped his arms around him.  
“If Evie sees this I will not hear the end of it.”  
“That's okay, Aziz will probably have a heart attack. He keeps trying to forget I'm gay.” Jay said.  
“Yeah he's a bit homophobic”  
“That's putting it nicely,” Jay said.

 

“I guess it's a good thing I left you alone,” a purple haired girl said vaulting over the back of the couch to sit next to Jay. “Not your usual gender, though” she observed with, barely looking at who was on Jay's lap.  
Jay reached down to push Carlos hair behind his ear, it had fallen across his eyes a while ago and the freckled boy had ignored it.  
“Usual gender” Jay said with a smirk as Mal's jaw fell open.  
“Leave it to you to find the only gay guy here. I swear this is like a whole house of homophobes” Mal complained  
“I'm assuming you struck out” Jay grinned at his friend.  
“I feel like a Mets player in the world series,” she told him  
“Imaginary?” Carlos asked deciding Mal didn't seem so bad.  
“I was going to say fucking lost, but imaginary would explain it too” Mal smirked.  
“If you're looking for a girl my best friend might be an option. She's a little high-strung, but she's a nice girl if you can ignore high-pitched shrieks.”

 

Pup: Come to the couch area. Got a girl for ya to meet  
Blueberry: brt

 

Carlos rolled his eyes at his phone. “I'd suggest not texting her, she never writes anything out. It's like a guessing game trying to decipher her messages.”

 

Evie walked up and smirked at Carlos, “ he was looking at you”  
“Blow me” Carlos laughed.  
“Is that an open invitation” Jay muttered softly, making Carlos blush.  
“No, and Evie, this is Mal. She's trying to get laid without a penis.  
Mal blushed while Jay started laughing, “blunt, I like it”  
“Only with her, we're basically twins that aren't twins.”  
“Siblings?”  
“Nope” Evie laughed, “our parents haven't even met”  
“And you've been friends how many years?” Jay asked.  
“Twelve, more or less,” Carlos said.  
Mal let out a long low whistle, her mother insisted on knowing all her friends, at least if she wanted to bring them near the house. So basically her mother knew Jay.

 

“You guys wanna go chill at my place?” Jay offered, the party atmosphere was starting to grate on his nerves.  
“I'm always down,” Mal said.  
“Oh what the hell, I'm only gonna live once,” Carlos said making Evie raise her eyebrows, he never trusted strangers.  
“If pup goes I'll go.” Evie agreed.  
Mal bounced off the couch and linked her arm with Evie, “You'll love Jay's place, it screams teenager”  
“His parents allow that?”  
“No parents, I'm on my own, couldn't stand my father any longer,” Jay said, two steps behind them holding Carlos's hand. “I should tell Az I'm leaving”.  
“He's out front playing drunk football” Evie supplied.

 

Carlos grabbed his skateboard from where he'd stashed it on the way out the front door. Outside in the yard, a group of boys and girls were throwing a football around, stumbling and tripping over their own feet.  
“HEY AZ!” Jay yelled to make his cousin look at him, the boy walked over to him.  
“Sup?”  
“Just wanted to tell ya I'm outta here”  
“Found a piece that easy, I'm surprised, not that many fags here,” Aziz said looking to see who Jay had snagged as Chad walked up to them.  
“Have fun, the kid is a great lay!” the blonde boy said, causing Carlos to blush.  
“Well so far he's nicer than anyone else here, if he's good in bed too, even better” Jay smirked at the boys.  
“Are you sure you two are related?” Chad asked Aziz, ignoring the other kids.  
“Mhmm, ask Audrey, she met his dad”  
“Whose dad?” the girl asked from her spot a short bit away.

 

“Can we leave, now?” Evie asked.  
“Two seconds I wanna hear the rest of this” Jay said.

 

“Jay's, at the family thing I had”  
“Yeah, they're really related, fucking freaks. I swear his dad is even more fucked up than him” Audrey said.  
Mal bit back a growl, but she felt her mouth open anyway, defending Jay wasn’t something she did often.  
“Fuck you” she pointed to Audrey.  
“Fuck you” she pointed to Aziz.  
“Fuck me” she pointed to Evie.  
“Fuck you twice” she pointed at Chad, deciding the other boy was pure scum to talk that way about a boy who seemed to be so innocent it was disgusting.

 

Jay started laughing, followed by Carlos. “You sure have a way with words,” Evie said.  
“Come on guys, this crowd has too many dicks for my tastes,” Mal said turning so her hair spun out around her.  
“If you like pussies Carlos is great company!” Chad yelled as they walked away, Carlos stuck his middle finger up without even looking back.

 

Mal walked up to her car with a smile, she loved the damn thing. A fully restored 1958 Plymouth Fury in purple, it looked exactly like the car from the movie Christine except for the color. Mal ran her hand lovingly over the hood while Jay stage whispered, “she likes that car more than she likes me!”.  
“No shit, I don't like you at all” she smirked.  
“Yeah you do”  
“Boys get the back” Mal said popping the locks.


	2. Jay's House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Crap-intines day! I'm posting this a few days (okay half a week) early as a consolation prize for those of us who aren't trapped with a significant other on the day or love.

Jay climbed in with practiced ease, Carlos followed him and pulled the seat into position for Evie to hop in. As Mal started the engine Carlos and Evie broke into identical grins before singing along to the radio. Mal reached out and spun the knob to turn it up before rolling down the windows, grateful Jay had wired things to be modern inside.

She pulled right in front of the house before revving up the engine and burning rubber down the road. All four sang along at the top of their voices. As they navigated into the seedy part of town Evie was tempted to roll her window up, but Jay and Mal seemed unfazed, so she tried to keep her cool. A glance at the back seat showed Carlos leaning on Jay, singing along without a care in the world. If he was happy she was happy. Mal came to a stop outside a rundown garage, she pushed a button on the dash, cursing when it didn't immediately work.  
“Hit it again, I didn't fix it yet!” Jay yelled over the music. Mal held the button until the door opened revealing the inside of an auto mechanic shop, she drove in and parked on the lift. When she killed the engine the silence was almost deafening. She hopped out and manually slammed the garage door shut while everyone else got out of the car. Jay slipped his necklace off and used the key on it to unlock the door, Mal shoved past him and walked up the stairs like she owned the place.  
“You'll have to excuse her, she thinks she lives here and most likely needs to pee,” Jay said, “Just follow her up”. They did and he locked the door behind them, he hated living in the ghetto, but it's what he could afford.

“That your shop downstairs?”  
“Yep, it's how I keep this little corner of hell,” Jay said looking around his apartment. It was a huge square with a bathroom in the corner. The far wall held a kitchen with table for two. There was also two queen beds off to the left with two dressers, to the right was a sectional sofa and flat screen tv with a couple gaming systems.  
“I help with this corner of hell!” Mal said.  
“No, your mother helps with this corner of hell and I let you stay here so you don't kill each other” Jay said with a smirk.  
“Same thing! So Princess, what do you like to do?” Mal asked Evie while she flopped on the couch. Evie went to sit with her, telling her about how she liked to make her own makeup and ran a fashion blog with Carlos.

“You wanna change out of that dress? I have stuff that might fit you” Jay offered.  
“That would actually be great, after a while the breeze loses it's novelty” Carlos laughed. Jay dug in his dresser and came up with an old t-shirt and sweats from when he was younger, Mal would have a field day with this. Carlos took them with a soft thanks and went into the bathroom to get changed. Jay smirked when the pale boy came out of the bathroom, the outfit actually fit him pretty well. He watched Mal take it in before mouthing to Jay 'are you serious?” to which Jay nodded. He wasn't about tell Carlos that was the outfit he'd worn the night he ran away, and that even Mal wasn't allowed to borrow it, at least not at any point in the near future.

“If you want out of that dress I won't complain,” Mal said to Evie.  
“Do you have something I could wear? She asked.  
“Oh, if you insist, I think I'd prefer you just out of the dress, though,” Mal smirked at the other girl.  
Evie laughed and unzipped it to reveal a tube top and a pair of short shorts. “I learned early on to have a backup outfit handy” Carlos sat on the couch next to her.  
“I think I better learn that, hey Jay can we smoke in here.”  
“Yeah, can't you tell from the overflowing ashtray?”  
“Yeah, but I still try to have respect”  
“Cute, respectful, gay... Jay, I swear to god this is the best guy you've ever found” Mal said, only half joking.  
“Mhmm, I'm hoping he stays around for a while”  
“Really?” Carlos asked in awe, he didn't have much dating experience, usually, people just didn't like him.  
“if you want” Jay smirked at the pale boy.  
“Nothing better to do with life,” Carlos said with a smile. He sparked his smoke, smiling when Jay mirrored him.

“I thought you quit?” Evie asked.  
“I did, that was three days ago” Carlos said blowing smoke over the girl's head. He reached behind Jay to grab his purse to check his phone, thanking every god he knew he hadn't missed any calls, he tossed the phone on the coffee table before leaning against Jay. The dark haired boy was busy cursing at a remote.  
“Fucking hell, Mal, make the thing do the thing”  
The purple haired girl laughed and stood to make the tv work, she hated remotes they never worked right for her.  
“What do you two like?” Jay asked.  
“Cartoons,” they said together. Jay typed the number in from memory when Mal made the tv flare to life, him and Mal often watched cartoons together.

Two hours later Carlos was dozing off against Jay, “Hey, it might be weird, but if you guys wanna stay the night you can”  
“Really? Let me ring my mom.” Carlos said grabbing his cell he called and left a message that he was staying with Evie. As soon as he hung up Mal smirked at him, “Lying, I like it”  
“I don't think he's been honest with his mother in sixteen years!” Evie joked, “I better call my mom too, you'll like this too.”

Evie dialed the number not even looking at the keypad. “Hi mommy dearest, I met a nice boy at the party, I'm gonna spend the night at his house. Carlos is with me if his mom calls” a pause while her mother spoke “yes mommy, he has a vintage Fury and his own place” another pause “okay mommy bye!” she practically sang into the phone. Carlos was biting his lip not to laugh, Evie's mom was eccentric at best.  
“Woah, what the ever-loving hell was that?” Mal asked.  
“That was how I deal with my mom. She doesn't care what I do as long as it's with the right people, namely rich boys. You seem to be rich and he's a boy so since you're both here I mixed you together and tada. She also covers for 'Los all the time”  
“Don't go home much?” Jay asked  
“Only as much as I need to,” Carlos said with a small smile.

“Come on,” Mal said grabbing Evie’s hand to haul her towards the bed, she tossed her a pair of pajamas and a t-shirt. Evie did get changed this time. All four of them went to bed, Mal and Evie in one bed Jay and Carlos in the other.

“Night gals, Mal so help me god if I hear any noises from over there” Jay trailed off with a chuckle.  
“She hasn't got a chance with the Blueberry Princess, she never puts out on the first date,” Carlos said snuggling against Jay's side.

“Night guys and I didn't plan on making noise, that's what gags are for!” Mal fired back, laughter clear in her voice.

“Great we're all crazy! Goodnight!” Evie said from her spot burrowed under the blankets.

Each pair talked softly with each other before dozing off to sleep. Carlos told Jay he was two years younger than E, and glossed over his home life, mostly that his mother was a workaholic who he avoided as much as possible. Jay told him a little bit about how he came to be on his own, leaving out all the important details.

Evie told Mal about how she was trying to launch her own makeup line and dreamed of being the name in fashion. Mal told Evie how her mother was basically a business tycoon and that she'd think about introducing the two of them.

Carlos woke up first, his first instinct was to tell Evie to get the hell off of him, but when he opened his eyes he saw jet black hair, not Evie's navy blue. It took a second, but the night before quickly came back to him. Carlos smiled, he never did things like falling asleep with a near stranger, but waking up in a tangle of warm limbs made it feel like a damn good idea. He slowly slid his arm from around Jay, then worked on detangling their legs. After a solid five minutes, he was free of the larger boy, while Jay still slept soundly. He padded silently into the bathroom before going into the kitchen. He didn't care whose house it was he was not going to attempt a day without coffee. It took him a minute but he found everything he needed quickly and set the coffee pot to brew. He had to assume Jay or Mal drank coffee and if not he and Evie could clear a pot by themselves with minimal effort.

Carlos sat on the couch to wait for the coffee pot, as the smell permeated the apartment Jay woke up. He looked around and saw Evie and Mal on Mal's bed before noticing a shock of white hair on the couch. Jay went into the bathroom before coming out and leaning over the couch to wrap his arms around Carlos. The younger flinched, not having heard anyone move, he quickly settled when Jay's hair brushed his shoulders, the older boy resting his head on the back of the couch.  
“So you snuggle and make coffee?” Jay said with a smile.  
“I snuggle and live on coffee” Carlos clarified.  
Jay looked over and saw the pot was about half done, “how do you want yours?” he asked walking into the kitchen.  
“Pots not done yet.” He said  
“That has never stopped me before” Jay laughed.  
“However you make yours, I'll drink anything with coffee in it,” Carlos said. Jay brought two mugs over to the couch and sat next to Carlos, one arm wrapped around the boy, the other holding his coffee. Carlos smiled and leaned against him. Jay turned the tv on, quickly turning the volume down so they wouldn't disturb the girls.  
“I'm surprised Blueberry isn't up yet, she doesn't sleep in much.”  
“Mal sleeps like the dead and I think it's contagious, that's why she got her own bed, I used to sleep through my alarm with her.”

An hour later Evie slid out of bed and made the trek to the bathroom. Carlos got up and made her a cup of coffee, refilling his and Jay's cups for the third time.  
“Coffee on the counter Blue” Carlos said, opting to sit on Jay's lap.  
Evie grabbed the cup and sat on the other end of the couch without saying a word. Carlos whispered loudly to Jay, “she doesn't talk until the coffee kicks in”.  
“Her and Mal will be perfect together” Jay laughed, “once I got a ratchet lobbed at my head because I asked her to hand me one before she'd finished her cup of coffee.”  
Carlos started laughing “Evie made a pair of heels stick out of her wall because she'd tripped over them and spilled her coffee”.  
“Still there too” Evie muttered from the other end of the couch.  
“Aww, she must be half done”  
Evie smirked and showed him the empty cup before sitting it on the table in front of her.  
“You two look pretty comfy together”  
“He's the perfect size to cuddle,” Jay said smiling.  
“I am, you and Mal seem good together too”  
“It's like a fucking miracle, let me tell you. She's a dating disaster, most chicks don't make it through the night. I think she's let two others sleep here, one she kicked out half way through the night for being a blanket hog.”  
“My record isn't exactly good. Carlos has the best luck, but he doesn't usually bother.” Evie said.  
“I bother! I'm just younger than you guys!” Carlos whined.  
Jay chuckled, “You can defend your record if you'd like. I'm assuming Chad is on it given his comments at the party”  
Evie smirked, this should be fun to watch.  
“Uhh, Chad is the record, along with a couple flingy things,” Carlos said softly.  
“Let me guess, you fell hard for an asshole, he fucked you over. You've bounced through a few beds then said fuck dating” Mal said from the bed, having been listening to the conversation.  
“Pretty much, how'd you know?”  
“Didn't just reciting Jay's past” She said with a laugh while going to the bathroom.  
“That's the most I've ever heard her talk without coffee, bitch” Jay muttered.  
Carlos shrugged one shoulder, “I don't care about your past any more than you seem to care about mine.”  
“Zero fucks given about your past, it had to suck, I wasn't in it” He smirked when Carlos blushed.  
When Mal left the bathroom Carlos went in muttering about having drunk too much coffee.

As he came out his cell rang, Jay grabbed it.  
“If that's his mom don't answer it,” Evie said.  
“Hey my mom is” He paused “yeah don't” he agreed with a small chuckle.  
Jay silently handed the phone out to him, “wasn't gonna answer it anyway, I hate phones”.  
Sure enough, it was his mom. “Hi mom” Evie flinched, she could hear the shrill voice on the other end of the phone. “I left a message, I stayed over E's place” pause “okay, I'll be home soon” he hung up before she could say anything else.

“Fucking lunatic. Mal, can I get a ride home in a bit?”  
“In a bit? That sounded like get home now or you die” Mal said having heard the shrieking just as well as Evie and Jay.  
“It was, but it takes twenty minutes to walk from E's and I'm in no hurry to leave, she doesn't know I have my deck” Carlos reasoned.  
Jay was silent trying to get over how much Carlos's mom reminded him of his own father.

Mal stood to refill her coffee cup, once she'd done that she walked over to her dresser and picked up her keys. She dropped them on Jay's head, “Hurt her and die”.  
Jay's jaw fell open, Mal never let him take her car, one look at her face though told him, she'd heard the same thing in that phone call he had.  
“Don't give me that look, I want a few minutes alone with my blueberry” Mal told him, Evie blushed.  
“No one but 'Los ever calls me blueberry,” she said softly. Jay watched Mal, normal she'd laugh and say Carlos needed to find a new name for the girl, she'd started to open her mouth then closed it.  
“If you don't want me to call you it I won't” she offered. Jay stared in wonder, she was never considerate, of anyone.  
“I don't mind, it's just a little odd right now.” Evie gave her a blinding smile trying to convey that it was perfectly okay.

Carlos got up and changed back into his dress and heels. Jay stood up and grabbed some clean clothes, he got dressed and grabbed the keys off the couch.  
“Hey, Jay?” He looked to Mal, she handed him a small wad of money “Fill the tank up” she said with a slight look towards Carlos. He raised one eyebrow and she nodded the tiniest bit.  
“Sure thing,” he said, sure he was going to go into shock. Mal wanted him to put gas in her car, but she also wanted him to get Carlos some food. Maybe his heartless bitch of a friend wasn't so heartless.

Carlos hugged Evie over the couch, the blue haired girl pressed a kiss to his cheek, “call me when you can okay?”  
“I will love you, sis,” he said softly making the other give him a huge smile.  
“Love you too bro,” she said watching him follow Jay down to the garage.  
Mal flinched when she heard her car start without her.  
“He's never driven your car before has he?” Evie asked when the purple hair girl flinched.  
“A few times, like when I sliced my hand open and couldn't,” Mal said, “never without me to yell at him, though”.  
“Can I ask why you let him now? Evie asked.  
“I already said I wanted time alone with you”  
“I've known Carlos a long time, you've known Jay a long time. I know there was more meaning to that 'fill the tank up' then just put gas in the car”  
“Cute and clever,” Mal said, “I'll be honest, which you can ask Jay, may as well be headline news. I've heard phone calls like the one Carlos got this morning before, a lot. You and I have more in common that I ever thought I would with someone, right down to the abused best friend turned sibling.” Mal's voice softened at the end of her speech, hardly believing she was telling all this to a girl she'd met less than a day ago. “I'm willing to bet my car he's calling you later so you know he's still alive, I also bet he'll have bruises tomorrow and if he misses a meal or five he never notices.”

Evie's jaw dropped, no one knew what Carlos went through at home, but this girl had pieced it together.  
“No need to look so shocked, like I said I've seen this before.”  
“How, though, I mean one phone call isn't much to go on,” Evie said.  
“He's kinda clingy but flinches at the same time. That phone call and just the way he acts, like he's desperate for attention but yet really doesn't want anyone to look at him.” Mal said “I can't tell you Jay's story, but when he gets back I'll see if I can get him to tell you. It might help you understand where he and I are coming from. It's weird but you and Carlos already feel like family, when we've just met”.


	3. Family is a funny thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a day late, I really do suck at updating on time. The good news is I go early almost as much as I do late! Let me know what you think, this story is basically my baby (but don't tell my son that!).

Jay slid into Mal's car grinning, Mal never let him drive her baby. Carlos slid in the other side, then slid along the bench seat to sit in the middle. Jay turned the engine over and shifted into reverse nailing the garage button until it opened. He pulled out and closed the door, shifting into drive he dropped his arm around Carlos. “Once we get outta the ghetto we'll go to a gas station, Mal gave me some money to grab us breakfast,” Jay said.  
“Really?” Carlos asked. Jay tried not to flinch at the hope in the other boy's voice.  
“Yeah, she never expects change from me and there is more than enough here for a tank full of gas, which means food for us, and after that phone call I'm gonna send you home with some extra food.”  
“Why?” Carlos asked.  
“Yeah, because I'm sure your mother forgets to feed you.”  
“N-no she doesn't” Carlos stuttered, no way had Jay figured it out.  
“You may as well give up, I lived that life already. I know you'll call Evie tonight to tell her you're still alive. You won't get food, and you'll probably get some bruises and cuts.” Jay said, before softly adding “ A few more memories to fuel the nightmares”.  
Carlos shuddered under his arm, “I'll be fine, food would be cool to have, though”. Carlos decided if this guy was willing to be kind to him he'd take it.

They pulled into the gas station, Jay filled the tank and went in, “get whatever you want, she gave me enough to buy most of the store” Jay told him. Carlos grabbed a bunch of snack cakes and an energy drink. “That's enough”  
Jay threw a box of granola bars on the pile, “trust me, those are nice to have”.

Ten minutes later they sat at the park, Jay told him it was going to suck when he went home, either way, he may as well have a full stomach. Carlos ate the first pastry in two bites, Jay would have found it funny if he hadn't connected the dots already.  
“When's the last time you ate?”  
“School lunch yesterday,” Carlos said.  
“You're in the public high school?”  
“Yeah, why?”  
“Well, I doubt you escape home again this weekend, I was thinking about coming to see you at lunch.”  
Carlos swallowed the last bite of his third pastry, “you seriously want to see me again?”  
“Sure do. You're a bit younger than me, sure but something about you and Evie just fits with me and Mal. If you don't want it, it's okay, but I am serious.” Jay told him.  
“I have lunch at 1:15” Carlos said with a smile.  
“I'll meet you just outside the senior parking lot, on the side street there.”  
Carlos looked up surprised, “how do you know that's there?”  
“Mal went there for all of two months, her mom transferred her to private school before giving up and hiring tutors, she doesn't do well in a classroom, and that's putting it nicely.”  
“Yeah I can hear a teacher telling her to watch her language and Mal saying suck a cock”  
Jay started laughing, “that has actually happened.” Carlos laughed along with him.  
“I don't want to but I really should head home”  
Jay didn't say anything but stood up and offered Carlos his hand, he surprised the other boy by pulling him into a hug. He smiled when Carlos relaxed against him, it didn't matter that they'd just met, it felt like they'd been together for years.

Jay settled his fingers under Carlos's chin, he gently lifted the other boy's head to look into his eyes. Carlos smiled at him and Jay felt his heart melt just a little, he leaned down a pressed a soft kiss to the other's lips, he pulled back almost immediately. Carlos shifted to tangle his fingers in the taller boy's hair, gently pulling his head down to kiss him again. Both were smiling as they pulled away, “something to think about until I see you again” Carlos said, grasping Jay's hand and starting towards the car.

Moments later they turned onto Carlos's road, “can I leave my deck here, you can give it back Monday?”  
“Sure thing,” Jay told him, knowing instantly that Carlos wanted it to look like he'd walked. “lemme see your phone?”  
Carlos nodded and handed him the device, he added his number into it and handed it back with a smile, “Give me a text later, same as Evie” Jay told him. Carlos smiled and leaned over to kiss him again, both boys marveling that a chaste closed mouth kiss could make the world melt around them.  
“See you Monday,” Jay said as Carlos slid out of the car.  
“Mhmm, I'll be there,” Carlos said shutting the door and starting towards home. He subconsciously pulled down the skirt on his dress, hoping he'd get to change before his mother started in on him. He bit his lip to hide his smile, for the first time in a long time he had something in life to look forward to. He stashed his bag of food in the bushes and let himself into the house, steeling his nerves for the worst.

Jay pulled into the garage and kill the engine. He walked upstairs to find Evie and Mal making out on the couch. He ignored the two girls and flopped on his own bed, deftly pulling out his cell phone to play a game. He heard whispers then Mal's voice rung out, “Jay, can you tell us a story please” a slight whine to her voice.  
“Fuck, which one? Something tells me the itchy bitchy spider isn't what you want”.  
“Your story, I want E to understand what's up with all of us. I'm sure you noticed by now we just kinda fit together.”  
Jay sighed, “I don't really want to, but I will.” he rolled off the bed and raided the cabinet next to the fridge, he came up with a bottle of rum and a shot glass. Evie looked shocked, “exactly how old are you?” Jay chuckled, “just turned 18 three days ago, got this the same way Carlos gets his smokes”.  
Evie nodded and didn't ask anything more.

“So my story. My father is a gang leader, no real brawn, and not much in the brains department either, but he can manage minions. My mom died having me, so my dad and his cronies were left to raise me.”  
“You didn't have a happy childhood did you?” Evie asked  
“My favorite toy was a hammer. What do you think?” He smirked, before continuing, “Anyway not really raised there, but being small I was able to steal really easily, no one suspects the three-year-old. So I grew up always trying to win my dad over, trying to make him love me stealing bigger and better things. With that came fights, from him for not doing good enough, and from his minions because they were delusional in thinking I had some place of honor that didn't exist. I was below them in the pecking order and I knew it. I know what 'Los is facing is a bit different, but I often missed meals, got the shit beat out of me and love wasn't a word in my home.” Jay paused and took two shots back to back. “When I was fifteen I had planned the ultimate heist, I was going to steal the account numbers from Maleficent's group, basically bankrupting the mogul. I thought I was a genius until I got busted.” Evie gasped but didn't speak wanting Jay to finish the tale. “When they called my dad he came and got me, I'd have rather went to prison. I still have the scars from that beating, he left me in the basement to die after that. He'd decided I was too much of a liability. I escaped one night, I had nothing but a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, it was the middle of winter. I decided to mug the first person I ran into and hope they were rich, I'd get arrested or that they'd just kill me. That's how I met Mal.” he stopped talking but Mal picked the story up.

“Dumbass here tried to mug me, I'm not an easy target. I had my knife to his throat and asked if he wanted to fucking die. He looked me in the eyes and told me yes. There isn't enough hardass on earth to prepare you for that situation, let me tell you. I asked why and he told me his story, I almost laughed, my mother had made it sound like it was an evil mastermind who tried to ruin her, not some dumb kid. I made him a deal, he'd be my muscle and I'd save his ass. He tried to patch things up with his dad, which is how I got to hear phone calls like the one ‘Los got, let us just say it didn’t work. After a while  I learned he liked to fix cars, he helped me with my Fury and I set him up with the garage, he slowly got stable and here we are, three years later. I remember the night I met him I took him to McDonald's, idiot ate so much he puked.”  
“I hadn't really eaten in weeks and I didn't know when I'd eat again.” Jay defended his younger self.  
“ I had you,” Mal said.  
“New concept for me” Jay muttered.  
“Anyway, that's why I get it, I can understand saving someone. Somehow me and Jay became like siblings, I can say with a straight face I'd kill for him and he'd probably do the same for me. At this point my mother even likes him.”  
“In a heartbeat” Jay agreed.

“What's your story Mal, your mom is some kinda business magician, but you don't seem to be the typical daughter of a rich woman,” Evie said.  
“I am, raised to want nothing, but I hated it. Everyone feared me because of my mother. I wanted them to fear me because I'm fucking bad ass; in time my reputation grew, Jay helped it a lot because while he doesn't like to fight he looks the part, and if he has to he kicks ass.”

“That's us, what about you?” Mal asked Evie.

“My mom was a fashion icon, miss teen everything. Then she had me and lost all that. She tries to make me into this perfect little harlot. All she wants is me to look pretty and marry some rich dude. I don't mind the pretty part, but guys are so not my thing. I had a really normal childhood, really normal next to you guys and Carlos. She's kinda a hands-off mom, but I've never been hungry, or beaten, or anything like that.”

“Would you tell us Carlos's story?” Jay asked, he was pretty well drunk at this point.  
“Not much to it. His mother is a workaholic designer who specializes in fur and hides. Carlos is basically her servant and she has major psychotic episodes swinging between this happy loving mother and the crazy bitch who called this morning. She often starves him, she's beaten him, whipped him, cut him and burned him. It's bad, I try to help him but there is only so much I can do.”

“Do you think maybe once he gets to know us better he'd move in here?” Jay asked Mal looked up at him eyes wide.

“He scares the fuck out of me because if a mass murderer offered him an escape I think he'd take it.” Evie said softly. “he ran away once, that's how he met Chad, the fuckface 'saved' him,” she said making air quotes. “To sum it up that just added sexual abuse and manipulation to everything already broken about Carlos”

“I knew I wanted to kill him” Mal growled softly. Jay pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them whispering a soft “fuck”. He'd known Carlos was broken, it was pretty easy to see, especially once you spoke to the pale boy, but he never expected to learn the other was totally shattered.

Carlos walked up to his room as fast as he could, shutting his door and taking the dress off to pull on jeans and a button down shirt. He took a deep breath and walked into the living room.  
“I'm home momma,” he said softly.  
“Where the hell were you!”  
“I-I left a message. I s-stayed at Evie's” Carlos stammered. His mother was still sitting but that could change at any second.  
“Why would you do that, don't you love your dear old mother?” Cruella asked.  
Carlos swallowed, no he couldn't say he did love the insane old harpy. “Y-yes momma, I'm sorry, it was just late I didn't want to bother you” the lie formed in his head without a second thought.  
“That is bullshit and you know it,” she said standing up and walking over to look down at him. Suddenly there was a blinding pain in his cheek, he bit his lip and ignored the sting. “You don't give one single fuck if you bother me, you never have, always eating my food, taking up space and money, never helping me” the woman ranted, Carlos tried to hide back inside his head, he tried to picture Evie, and Jay and even Mal to escape from the woman's insane words. The first punch knocked the wind out of him, the dull burn on his collarbone told him his mother had decided that was a good spot to put out her cigarette, he screamed.

“And again, you don't care about me, only you” another punch “worthless” a kick this time “little” another kick “runt” this time a slap that sent the freckled boy to the floor. He didn't bother to try and escape it was useless. His mother continued to kick at him, he thought of Jay, the boy had come into his life so suddenly, but knowing that he would see him again on Monday gave him a reason to ignore his mother. She would run out of steam soon. Carlos felt a notepad hit him in the head, his throat was sore from screaming, it hurt to breathe and there was a small puddle of blood under his head, but he was alive that was what mattered.  
“Get to work on those chores you lazy piece of shit” Cruella spun and sat on back on the couch ignoring her son's broken form.  
“Yes, momma” he croaked out, standing slowly, using the wall as leverage. He walked up to his bedroom grateful for the attached bathroom. Pulling his shirt off he held back a sigh, he was willing to bet quite a lot that he had cracked or broken ribs, again. He stuck his head into his shower and rinsed it until the water ran clear, he waited a few moments before running his hand along the back of his head, it came back red. He cursed and grabbed the hand mirror, sure enough, the back of his head was split open, he grabbed his first aid kit and wrapped some gauze around it, hoping it stopped sooner rather than later. He looked down at the notepad and started on his list.

Late that night he sent Evie a text

Carlos: I'm alive, hurt pretty good, though.  
Blueberry: u need anything?  
Carlos: A million dollars, a hit on my mother, maybe Jay  
Blueberry: fell hrd eh?  
Carlos: I'm fucking terrified, he's just too perfect.  
Blueberry: he brken too, I tnk da pieces will fit 2gtr well, in time.  
Carlos: oooohhh k then. How about you and Mal?”  
Blueberry: They will pry her out of my cold lifeless hands!  
Carlos: Full proper sentence; we're so fucked! I'm gonna txt Jay then sleep, night  
Blueberry: Ni ni. I styd, he's w8n.

Carlos smiled, Evie would probably never go home again. He scrolled to Jay's name and giggled, the older teen had put hearts on either side of his name.

Carlos: Hey, I'm alive  
Jay: E told me, can you call? I wanna hear your voice.

Carlos felt his heart skip, that was something no one had said to him before. He clicked out of the messenger and hit call instead, the phone had barely rung when Jay's voice said “hey” followed by the sound of Mal yelling lover boy and a door shutting. Carlos smiled in the darkness of his room, “Hi” he said, his voice still scratchy.  
“You sound like shit”  
“Yeah screaming for a while does that to you,” Carlos said.  
“I remember,” Jay said sitting on the hood of Mal's car, he'd die if she saw it, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt him. A small noncommittal noise came from the other end of the phone. “If Eves tells us your story will she die?” Jay asked.  
“No, saves me from telling it,” Carlos said softly, his throat really hurt.  
“Good, cuz she did and Mal is basically out for Chad's blood, and I wouldn't want to be your mother in a dark alley anytime soon”  
Carlos laughed, then yelped “fuck” he gasped softly.  
“Hurt ribs?” Jay asked into the phone.  
“Considering I was the replacement for a football, probably.”  
“It sounds silly, but lay on the side you hurt, it'll let you breathe deeper,” Jay told him, smiling when he heard the sounds of the other boy shifting around.  
A couple hisses of pain later Carlos spoke again, “bloody hell, that does help”  
“I know, I've cracked and broken my ribs more times that I can count, plus all the time's others have done it for me,” Jay said with a small laugh.  
“Blueberry told you my story, can you tell me yours?” Carlos asked.  
Jay sighed before he told Carlos the same thing he'd told Evie, then he added more to it.  
“About a year after Mal got me the garage I met a guy, that seemed amazing, he was from a good home, that should have been my first hint. Things went pretty good for a few weeks, then he started getting bitchy to Mal. She'd bitch right back, which lead to some pretty explosive fights. Six months in I'd fallen hard, but I came home one night to Mal sitting in the garage with a black eye. The fucker had changed the lock on my apartment door, then punched her when she knocked to try and get in. I kicked the door down, beat the shit out of him and called the police on him. Cops didn't give a fuck, but Mal's mother ensured he got locked up, it's never a good idea to assault the heiress to a gigantic fortune. Before that she just visited a lot, at that point she basically moved in, and here we are.”

“Sheesh after that I wouldn't trust anyone.”  
“I don't, but something about you and Evie is just so similar to me and Mal, it's impossible for me not to trust you two. Evie is even staying the night again, and I can tell you Mal never keeps someone around for more than a night. You guys are special”  
Carlos could hear the smile in his voice, “you're pretty special too, no one besides Evie ever cared about me before. Even Chad didn't do things like make sure I ate”  
“He's probably like my ex, no idea what it's like to be hungry”  
“Exactly, he's like a pampered princess.”  
Jay laughed into the phone, “I thought Evie was the princess”  
“Not if Chad's in the room”  
Both boys laughed.  
“It's getting late, I should sleep, more chores and shit in the morning”  
“Okay, thanks for calling, I think I'd have worried a lot if all we did was text”  
“E was the same when she first found out, night”  
“night cutie” Jay said before he ended the call.  
Carlos smiled to himself in the dark room, he had something no one could take away from him.

Sunday was hell for Carlos, he spent the day cleaning their house top to bottom while his mother threw things and kicked at him. The only bright spot was nearly constant texts from Jay that he answered anytime his mother left the room.

Evie spent her day with Jay and Mal, who spent the day playing video games and getting into a water fight. Jay dumped his water bottle on Mal's head and in turn, she turned the sink sprayer on him. Evie lounged on the couch tears of laughter running down her cheeks. That night Mal let Jay drive Evie home, to keep up the illusion that she'd spent the weekend with a boy. Upon seeing the blinds move near the door he leaned over making sure his hair blocked their faces and whispered to her, “your moms in the window, figured she'd appreciate a show”  
“You're a fucking genius” Evie smiled at him, he brushed back a strand of her hair and gave her a playful shove out towards the door.  
“I've been called worse, besides I play the part and Mal will be happy. I fuck up and I get to sleep with the fishies” he laughed.  
Evie slid out of the car and gave him a wave as he pulled out of her driveway.

He pulled into the garage and walked into his apartment to find a naked Mal lying on her bed.  
“Some fucking warning would be nice” he grumbled throwing the keys at her.  
“I wore clothes for two days how much more warning do you need?” she said.  
“Ugh, what do you want for dinner?”  
“Pizza”  
Jay rolled his eyes and threw the phone at her, “it's not Carlos I'm not talking”  
She dialed the number and ordered a large extra cheese, she decided to be mean and make it a pickup. Jay flipped her off when he heard it, as she hung up he told her “I hope you're putting on pants because I'm not going out again today”

“Oh come on”  
Jay smirked a plan forming in his head, “One condition.” he prompted her.  
“Oh god, what?”  
“I get to borrow your car tomorrow, twice”  
“The fuck for?”  
“I wanna see Carlos at lunch, and maybe kidnap him after school”  
“Oh fine, just don't make me put on pants!”  
“Thanks, sis” he smirked, she threw her pillow at him, he dodged it and walked out the door. The pizza place only a few buildings down.

He returned twenty minutes later to find Mal in a tank top and panties, “thank god, I don't think I could have kept my food down if I had to look at a naked you”. He dropped the pizza on her bed and pulled his shirt off, she ignored him and took a slice of pizza out.  
“Gimmie a drink” she ordered around a mouthful of pizza. He rolled his eyes and grabbed them both some fruity wine cooler crap Mal had picked out. He settled at the foot of her bed and took his own slice of pizza.  
Mal pulled the biggest slice out and sat it to the side, “bring that to your puppy tomorrow”.  
Jay looked at her, she never sacrificed the biggest slice, they'd even gotten into fights over it.  
“I talked to Evie a lot more, just bring him the damn pizza”  
“Okay,” Jay agreed.  
Silence fell on them before Mal said softly, “she never feeds him, like ever. She keeps track of all the food in the house. Evie said when she met him he couldn't eat more than a few mouthfuls without being violently sick, he was four.”  
Jay stared at her, his half eaten slice of pizza forgotten. “You've got to be fucking kidding me?” Mal shook her head no.  
Jay went back to eating, already planning ways to make sure Carlos didn't starve ever again.

“So why did I finally get to drive your baby?” Jay asked her  
“He seems a bit skittish around me still, but not at all around you. I figured you’d both appreciate a little time alone. Besides I wanted some time with Evie” Mal told him.  
“And you didn’t just command me to walk him home, why?”  
“He limps, it’s subtle, but it’s there. It’s a lot like when we met, that feeling that you just belong, I get it with them too.  I also know you’ve noticed it, letting ‘Los sleep in that outfit”  
Jay smiled, “he looked cute in it”  
“I’d look cute in it, and you threatened to throw me off a bridge if I even looked at it!”  
“I was kidding!” Jay protested.  
“Yeah, and I was kidding when I offered to kill you”  
“You were, you just didn’t know it at the time.”  
“So how soon are we getting those two to move in here?”  
“I think Evie will just stay here a lot, probably on her own. Carlos, I think we’ll make it up as we go, whatever works we’ll do”  
“Whatever works you’ll do” Mal corrected him.  
“Mal, you care about Carlos and  Evie just as much as I do,” Jay told her a soft mumble answered him. “One more time, I think I wanted to hear that”.  
“I said I don’t want to talk fucking emotions! Can’t I just make them my minions like you and go from there?”  
“That’s exactly what I want,” Jay told her with a smile.


	4. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided to post another chapter tonight. I disliked where I chose to end the last one; this one I feel is a better "stopping" point for the week.
> 
> Maltazar2013 gets a very special thank you, their comments are a nice reminder that my stories are being enjoyed by more than just myself.

Carlos woke up for school Monday with a smile, sure everything hurt and he looked like shit, but in a few hours, he'd see Jay again. He pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. He re-bandaged his head, pulling a beanie over his ears to help hide it, before grabbing his backpack and leaving the house to walk to school. The sooner he left the less chance he had of dealing with his mother. He went into homeroom twenty minutes before classes started and sat at his usual desk in the back corner. Other students slowly trickled in, ignoring the pale boy in the back corner. Carlos pulled one of the granola bars from Jay out and munched on it, ignoring those around him to play on his phone. Classes bored Carlos, they always had, even being moved up two grades hadn't helped, when the lunch bell finally rung he drew attention to himself for the first time he could remember, by practically running out of the room and down the hall, uncaring that he had to be near people to do it, he wanted out of the school as fast as he could.

At the end of the senior lot, he saw exactly who he was waiting for. Jay was sitting on the hood of Mal's car. The older boy pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head, “hey you”.  
“Damn I've missed you” Carlos admitted letting his head rest on Jay's shoulder.  
“Got something for you,” Jay said letting the other boy go, he leaned in the car and grabbed the pizza box, “Two for you, two for me. Gotta share a soda, though” he said pulling a 2-liter bottle off the floor. Carlos smiled and reached into the box grinning around a mouthful of cold pizza.  
“Thanks, way better than school food” he leaned on the hood and watched kids get in their cars to leave for lunch.  
“So do I get to worry like hell and check over all your injuries?” Jay asked.  
“I prefer if you don't, I'm okay and Evie will fuss over me enough for five people later.”  
“Promise you'll tell me if anything is bad?”  
“The ribs are the worst and you already helped with those” Carlos said with a small smile. Then he spotted Aziz way down the lot and held back a groan.  
“I know he's family, but couldn't Aziz get trapped in a magic lamp or something?” he whined.  
“Well I tried to lock him in a closet once, but he broke the door down.” Jay said with a smile, “he been giving you trouble?”  
“No more than usual, they ganged up on my between third and fourth, just slinging insults, though. Aziz does have a nice black eye from me, though. He tried to blame you for me being beaten up, some shit about having your father's temper.”

“I'll have to have a talk with him sometime, and show him my temper if he thinks it's anything like my dad's,” Jay said, his smile nearly feral. Carlos felt an odd warmth, no one had ever tried to protect him before.  
“Count to ten, I doubt he is able to walk past me with his mouth shut,” Carlos said softly. Jay noticed how he tried to curl into himself like he really wanted to vanish.  
“Do you want me to ignore him, or tear into him?” Jay asked unsure which would make the boy feel better.  
“He's your family, you decide.”  
“You ever skip school in your life?”  
Carlos nodded, sometimes he was too hurt, other times too bored. No one cared if he didn't show up.  
“If he says anything just hop in the passenger seat and leave it to me.” Carlos slid off the car and put the food in the car, he knew what was coming. Jay leaned against the hood, Carlos smiled when the older boy pulled him into his arms. “Don't let him get to you, he wet the bed until he was fourteen”  
Carlos started laughing, “you have got to be kidding!” Jay shook his head no while grinning.

“Do you have to taint our parking lot with your faggotry?” Aziz asked, his friends sniggering at the supposed joke. Carlos had a sudden burst of inspiration, he pushed Jay's hair behind his ear, pressed a kiss to his cheek and said just loud enough for everyone to hear, “I'll be in the car, babe”. With that he let go of the other boy and slid onto the middle seat in the car, he let a smirk settle onto his features at everyone's expressions.  
“S'not your parking lot asshole,” Jay said.  
“Senior lot, we're seniors.” one of them said.  
“Oh fuck, you can read!” Jay faked shock.  
“Fucking asshole” Aziz muttered  
“Pot. Kettle. Black” Jay grinned at his cousin “I can do this all fucking day.”  
“Benefit of fucking a rich girl, tell me how does your new little fuck toy feel about your girlfriend.”  
Carlos watched Jay punch his cousin, knocking him out cold, “A little lesson, do not fuck with what is mine.” Jay said before walking to the driver's side door. “I suggest you move him before I turn him into a speed bump”. With that he slid into the car and revved the engine, Carlos snuggled against his side as Jay navigated onto the street and sped away.

“Slow down a little, Mal will kill you if you crash”  
“I never crash,” Jay said.  
“Okay, I really hate being in cars if I'm not driving”  
That made Jay slow down, “you know how to drive?”  
“Yeah, taught myself years ago, I've been known to steal my mother's car”  
“Badass” Jay said with a smile, “you're full of surprises”  
“Mhmm, so what are we doing today?”  
“Well I have a couple cars I have to fix, then I'm free. You can sit and watch me or go bug Mal, just knock or yell, she likes to be in varying states of no clothing if she thinks she is alone.”  
“I'll stay with you, naked Mal does not sound like a good time, yuck”  
“Do you know anything about cars?”  
“I can tell you all the theory about how it works, but the hands on stuff, no”  
“Wanna learn?”  
“Not really, I have you if I ever end up with a car that needs to be fixed”  
Jay laughed and squeezed Carlos' shoulders, “I'm good with that plan”

He parked in the street and opened the garage to show a car on the lift, tools laying under it. Carlos jumped up to sit on a work bench, Jay couldn't help the smile he looked adorable sitting there.  
“Pizza is still in the car” Jay reminded him, trying not to laugh as he hopped down and went to get the food. By the time Carlos sat back on the workbench Jay was lost in the car he was working on. Carlos finished eating and stuck his head under.  
“New brake lines?”  
“You said you didn't know about cars”  
“I don't, box with the new ones is at your feet with a label on it”  
Jay started laughing, “you're smarter than Mal”.  
“Why does that feel insulting,” Carlos asked.  
“it probably is,” Jay said with a grin.

Carlos sat back on the bench and played on his phone, three hours of conversation later Jay asked when he needed to be home  
“Saturday morning”  
The dull thud told him Jay had tried to look up at him and failed, “Oww, son of a bitch. How the hell did you manage that?”  
“First week of the month the devil goes to the spa, I get a week off, just gotta clean on Saturday cuz she comes home Sunday.”  
Carlos was interrupted by his cell phone going off. “Oh fuck” he muttered answering the call on speaker.  
“Hi E”  
“WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO TODAY!” the blue haired girl yelled into her phone.  
“Sorry, Jay came to see me at lunch, Aziz started some crap and we left, I'm at his shop now.”  
“Carlos Oscar Devil!” Jay sniggered when Carlos paled hearing his full name, “I swear you live to make me worry”  
“I didn't mean to! I didn't think, blame Jay he gave me soda and pizza and hugs” Carlos said letting a whine into his voice.  
Suddenly the voice on the other end softened, “Oh sweetie, do you think they'd mind if I stop over, I haven't seen you since you know” Carlos flinched at the mention of his abuse.  
“Come on over E, I'll keep the door open for ya!” Jay said speaking loud enough for the phone to pick it up.  
“Oh hi Jay, I see 'Los still uses speakerphone too much” Jay started laughing, Carlos blushed. “No complaints from me, now I know his middle name,” the older boy said laughing.  
“I'll be over in a half hour or so, it shouldn't take too long to walk there”  
“Mal will pick you up in ten minutes, she'd kill me if I let you walk,” Jay told her.  
“If you're sure she won't mind.”  
“Sis, shut up.” Carlos laughed into the phone.  
“Oh fine, I'll see you all soon,” Evie said hanging up.

“So you use speaker phone a lot?” Jay asked  
“Mhmm, it's how she found out about my mother, well more about my mother, she'd guessed years before that.”  
“Ah, let me go tell Mal to get E,” Jay said wiping has hands on a rag and heading for the door.

“Mal, 'Los has been here since lunch, Evie wants to come over so you're going to pick her up.”  
“I'm not moving,” Mal said.  
“Oh come the fuck on” Jay groaned.  
“You invited her you get her!”  
“I'm busy!” Jay said his voice raising, he hated when Mal pulled this 'I'm not doing anything' act.  
“So am I, doing nothing is hard fucking work!” Mal yelled at him.  
“Mallory go get your goddamn girlfriend, or I'll let Carlos take the car to get her!” he screamed figuring that would get the purple haired girl moving.  
Mal laughed, “Jayden, don't fucking call me that. Let him get her, if he knows how to drive, he can't be worse than you”.  
Jay's jaw dropped, there was accepting a guy because you wanted to nail his best friend then there was letting him drive your car that you basically worshiped.  
“You've gotta be shitting me”  
“Nope, give him the keys and deliver me my blueberry!”  
Jay looked at her then walked back down the stairs, this had to be a joke, she hadn't let him take the car until two days ago, yet she was handing it over to someone she'd met once before.

Carlos flinched when he heard the yelling, then listened in and realized it sounded like him and Evie fighting. Jay's threat of sending him made him laugh, he was probably a better driver than the older boy was, he didn't hear Mal's response though because she didn't yell it. A few moments later Jay came down the stairs and grabbed the keys off the bench where he'd thrown them. He walked over to Carlos and kissed his cheek before gently grabbing his wrist and turning his hand to sit the keys in it.  
“Mal said deliver her blueberry”  
“You have got to be shittin' me,” Carlos said  
Jay laughed, “My thoughts exactly, but no she's not. I gotta get this car done, and she's having a not moving day, so that leaves you. Drive careful” he smiled before going back to the car on the lift.

Carlos slid off the bench hardly believing Mal trusted him with her car.  
“I'll be back in a few I guess,” Carlos said, walking out to the car.  
“I should have this off the lift when you get back, so you can pull in,” Jay told him.  
“Okay,” Carlos said getting into the car. He took a split second to look at the radio before turning the engine over, adjusting the music and moving the mirrors. In less than a minute he was out of sight. He pulled into Evie's driveway and waited for the girl to get in.  
“Is Mal dead?” she asked instantly.  
“No, why?”  
“Then you are, why do you have her car?”  
“She's not moving today, and Jay is busy so I am playing delivery boy for Mal's Blueberry Princess,” Carlos said throwing the car into reverse.  
“That's insane. She was freaked out the whole time Jay had the car, but she'll let you take it no problem?”  
“Apparently.”  
“And she knows you don't have a license?”  
“I don't think she cares,” he said pulling onto Jay's street. He saw the car that had been on the lift parked in the road and drove into the garage, it was empty so he shut the garage door, before locking the car and trying the door to the apartment. It was open so he went up, Evie locked the door behind her. Mal was laying on her bed in a superwoman tank top and matching panties while Jay stood shirtless in the kitchen cooking something.

“I could seriously get used to this” Evie said walking up behind Carlos and taking in the sight before her. “Hey guys!” she added to the other two.  
“Hey Eve,” Jay said not even turning around.  
“Hi, there sexy!”Mal said smirking at the other girls blush.

“Okay Double D, sit,” Evie said pointing at the couch. Carlos bit back a groan and sat on the couch, he knew Evie would notice he had on a hat and jump to the correct conclusions.  
“Why Double D?” Jay asked from the kitchen.  
“Old cartoon, the kid always wore a hat. Someone here always wears a hat if he gets his head hurt. Now hat off pup.”  
Jay walked out of the kitchen and sat sideways next to Carlos so he was facing the other boy, before gently taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. Evie dug in her purse and came up with what looked like a homemade first aid kit. Jay raised an eyebrow at her.  
“Let's just say this happens, a lot,” she told him while gently pulling the hat off the other boys head. He'd used a piece of elastic to hold a piece of gauze to his head without ripping out his hair, Evie took that away too.  
“Your gauze was soaked through, probably into the hat, can't tell because of the color.” She grabbed the disinfectant and pressed the hat to his neck before pouring the liquid over the gash. Carlos hissed at the sting, he hated that crap.  
“Why the hell didn't you get me to bandage this before class?”  
“I changed it before school, is it that bad?”  
“Let's just say you should have stitches in it.”  
“I think we have some of that super glue for skin crap,” Jay said from next to her.  
“We do, downstairs in the “Jay is a klutz box”,”Mal said from her bed.  
“Be right back” he said going to get the little bottle of stuff.  
He was back in no time and painted it onto the edges of the gash before pushing it shut. He handed the jar to Evie, “paint on another layer, count to one hundred and do another. I gotta keep an eye on dinner”.

Evie did as she was told while Jay went back to the kitchen.  
“Whatcha making?” Mal asked.  
“Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and something with sugar in it since someone ate all the cookies,” Jay told her  
“I have no regrets!” she said with a laugh, “when you're done come mere blueberry”  
“Yes dear,” Evie said with a laugh, she was waiting for the last layer of glue to dry. “Gauze over this or leave it open?”  
“Poke it, if it's dry gauze it. If it's not don't, Mal made that mistake on me, fucking hurts like hell.”  
Evie poked it and decided it was dry. She stuck a piece of gauze over it then took out a bandanna and tied it around his head, gently pulling his hair out from under the makeshift hair band.  
“All done, can I ask how the hell that happened?”  
“You can, but I won't answer.”  
“Does his mom wear pointy shoes?” Jay asked from the kitchen  
“Yeah, why?”  
“That's how, she was kicking at him while he was on the floor, fucked his ribs up too”  
Evie smacked Carlos's arm, “what the hell!”.  
“You should have just told me. This is your week off right?”  
“Yeah, no crazy for six whole days”  
Evie gave him a quick hug before going to sit by Mal, “try to recover this time, so no fucking skateboarding!”

Mal shifted to put her head on Evie's lap, Evie ran her fingers through the purple locks with a smile.  
“So what's this week off thing?” Mal asked  
“His mom goes to the spa first week of every month leaving him alone”  
“So what I'm hearing is he gets to live here for a week.”  
“Usually he hides in his house and pretends to be dead for six days”  
“And this time he's gonna live here for a week,” Mal said, “you're welcome too E, or you and I could go to 'Los's place”  
“If that was happening wouldn't me and Jay go there and you stay here?” Carlos said from the couch.  
“I'm waiting to see if I get any say at all in this” Jay asked.  
“No” three voices chorused at him.  
The four of them laughing at the absurdity of it all. Jay sighed, “why don't we just all live here for a week, that seems to be the general consensus anyway”  
“Exactly!” Mal said  
“School?” Evie asked  
“I'll drive you” Mal offered instantly.  
“Fuck it, I'm in. I'll need to grab some clothes though” Carlos agreed  
“You realize Mal, that means you have to wear clothes for a whole week!” Jay laughed from the kitchen.  
“No, it means two more people get to see my naked ass” she laughed.  
“I may be okay with this” Evie said, while Carlos groaned and let his head flop back on the couch.  
“Just what I need, more vagina in my life! I swear for a fucking gay guy I see a lot of female ass.”

“There's some novelty to seeing Mal naked, at least for the first ten seconds” Jay smirked, “most plums don't have carpets to match the drapes”  
“Jayden!” Mal yelled while Evie blushed, Carlos smirked and said, “I know a blueberry that does!”  
“Carlos!” Evie yelled while Jay laughed in the kitchen.  
“Figures. Only girls in town that have candy colored crotches and they're together. Now that leaves us to wonder about you two-tone” Jay said smirking at the boy.  
“Who said there isn't hardwood throughout,” Carlos asked innocently, causing Jay to imitate a fish, Evie to cackle with laughter and Mal to giggle to herself.  
“The four of us are so fucked” Mal observed softly as the laughter died down.

Jay made up four plates, he gave one to each before throwing them each a bottle of water and taking his own plate to sit next to Carlos. “I'll take you home for clothes and stuff after we eat, Evie too”  
“'kay” Carlos agreed around a mouthful of potatoes.

Twenty minutes later they got out of the car at the De Vil home.  
“Come on, you should see Hell Hall too,” Carlos said when Jay didn't move to follow them. He killed the engine and got out, Evie lead the way to Carlos's room, having been there any time his mother wasn't. Inside she sat on his bed while he got a backpack from his closet. He tossed it on the bed and threw varying clothes next to it. Jay leaned on the door frame watching, the actions were so practiced as if he'd done this a thousand times before. Carlos ducked into the bathroom and came out with a little bag with a skull on it, he loaded everything into the bag before he laid down and pulled a bag out from under his bed, Evie gave him a look but didn't say anything. She grabbed his bags and told him, “show Jay around, I'll toss your crap in the car”.

Carlos looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn't. As she left Jay slipped his arm across Carlos's shoulders, “you don't need to show me crap, Hell Hall was pretty descriptive”.  
“No, there's something specific she wants me to show you. I never showed anyone but her, but I guess she has a point. You don't seem to be going anywhere” Carlos tried to joke but Jay could feel the tension.  
“Alrighty, let's see, promise I won't change my opinion on you any.”  
“Oh I don't know about that” Carlos muttered walking down the stairs to the basement. He punched the numbers into the door and walked down another set of steps. “This is my mom's studio, it has her closet where she likes to send me to clean her furs and occasionally lock me in if she's unhappy with me,” Carlos said looking up at Jay through his lashes.  
“That doesn't sound too horrible, not good, but I can think of worse.”  
“It gets worse, come on,” Carlos said walking again towards the door along the back wall, it had multiple locks on the outside, he opened it and turned on the light before stepping inside with a small shudder.  
“Just don't shut the door behind you,” Carlos said.

Jay followed him in silent, the room seemed large, but it was full of furs, from things already made to shelves full of pelts. The floor was littered with bear traps, open waiting for someone to misstep Carlos stood at the edge of the first traps, “I dunno if you noticed the scar on my leg, but I got it in here”  
Jay thought back to the night he met the other boy, he had noticed the wicked scar on his leg, the whole side of his leg looked like it had been cut off, “I figured you got that skateboarding”.  
'No, I was ten, the way it cut it basically skinned my leg and left bare muscle, similar to road rash, though, so I tend to pass it off as a skating accident. I have lots of other little cuts too, but that was the worst.”  
Jay silently wrapped his arms around him. “Thanks for showing me, just keep me far away from your mother” Jay softly told him, Carlos giggled.  
“No problem, I'm still trying to keep myself away from her”  
Jay smiled before leaning down to kiss him, he pulled back after a moment, “there you go, one good memory in here”. The smile he got in return was blinding before Carlos tangled their fingers together and led him out, being careful to leave everything exactly as he found it.

They got back to the car to find Evie sitting in the middle, Carlos gave her a look that clearly said 'fucking move'.  
“Gotta fool my mom remember?” Evie said.  
Carlos groaned and slid into the passenger seat while Jay took the drivers.  
“Want me to go in and act like the smitten boyfriend?” Jay asked as they got near her house.  
“Are you okay with that?”  
“Are you okay with me pretending you're Carlos?”  
“For this application, yes”  
“Then yes, s'long as 'Los doesn't mind”  
“Nah, I've seen her do way worse than an amazing gay guy” Carlos said, Evie, hit his leg as they pulled in the driveway.

“Hi mommy, I wanted to ask if I could spend the week with Jay?”  
“I assume this is Jay?”  
“Yes ma'am,” he said turning on the smile Mal said could melt ice. It must have worked since Evie's mother lit up.  
“Of course, of course. Evie tells me you're on your own, you seem quite young.”  
“I've been on my own since I was fifteen, I just turned eighteen, though, I own a little shop downtown”  
“Oh, that's lovely, you guys have fun this week, Evie just loves sleepovers!”  
Evie took the hint to drag Jay up to her room, she took slightly longer than Carlos to throw her stuff in a bag and tear back out the front door, yelling a hasty goodbye to her mother. She sat in the middle and Jay let his arm drape around her shoulders, she leaned on him while Carlos leaned on the door. As soon as they turned off Evie's road Jay pulled over and let go of Evie. Carlos took the hint and scooted in front of Evie while she moved to lean on the door.

“Much better,” Carlos said. “So sis, why did I have to show Jay the studio?’  
“Cuz I’m a bitch. I wanted someone besides me to have nightmares about that place” Evie said.  
“No worries about that, I”ll always have them too,” Carlos said.  
“Give it time, we’ll all get fixed up, maybe even we can pull some magic and make Mal human,” Jay said pulling into the garage.  
“That’s a little too lofty,” Evie said popping her door open. The four of them trooped upstairs, Carlos grabbed clean pj's and went to get changed, leaving his t-shirt on. When he came out Jay had gotten changed too, apparently ignoring Mal and Evie. 

Carlos grabbed the bag that had been under his bed and sat on Jay’s. He pulled out his most prized possession, a laptop he’d built himself, so it was made with mostly stolen parts, it was still his. Evie rolled her eyes when she saw it, “You’ve just lost him for the night”.  
“I’m here!” he protested typing in his password. Jay settled next to him.  
“That is adorable,” he said when the background loaded, it showed a pile of dalmatian puppies laying in a heap.  
“Mhmm, I’m terrified of dogs in person, but I like them on a screen,” Carlos said absently, pulling up his settings.  
“You’re afraid of dogs? Like even puppies?” Mal asked in disbelief, she loved dogs.  
“Yeah, my mom lied to me as a kid to keep me out of her furs, I know better now but I just can’t be near them.”  
“Tomorrow if you want we can work on that, Lucy kinda comes here a lot,” Mal said.  
“What’s a Lucy?”  
“Lucy Furr is my malamute puppy that’s not a puppy anymore,” Mal said with a smile.  
Carlos stopped what he was doing to look up, everyone was serious. “Oh come on I’ve lived this long without fixing it, can’t I stay broken?”  
“Nope we won’t allow it,” Jay said  
“Ugh, the dog is named fucking Lucifer and I am supposed to like it?” Carlos said focusing back on the screen. In a matter of minutes, he hooked into a neighbor's internet to check his email.  
“No one hates Luce, it isn’t possible,” Mal said with a smirk.

Evie and Mal took turns getting changed before Mal demanded Evie play Rummy with her. Jay held back a laugh, grateful someone else could lose to the purple haired girl for once. He laid his head on Carlos’s shoulder to watch the screen. It showed a small animated character killing a big monster with a bunch of bright lights acting as effects. “The hell game is that?”  
“It’s an MMORPG called Flyff,” Carlos said navigating to the next creature, “Mind Numbing, repetitive, I love it.”  
“Kinda fun to watch, what're all the lights?”  
“I’m a mage, those are the spells that damage the monsters”  
“Cool, maybe we can play together sometime”   
“You got a computer?”  
“Yeah, so does Mal, two gaming laptops and she pays for wifi, it was fun to watch you hack the neighbor though you’re really good at the techy thing.”  
“Had to be, mom didn’t really support it, I built my laptop myself with garbage and stolen parts. Didn’t think you guys would have the internet, I keep forgetting you’re not exactly normal broke teens” Carlos said with a small laugh.  
“It runs pretty well for that” Jay said.  
“If you gave him twenty minutes he could give you Mal’s moms account numbers,” Evie said. Jay and Mal laughed.  
“Don’t laugh, she’s serious” Carlos told them.  
“Why are you not working in security then?”  
“Between my mother and Chad, I didn’t have time. I might look into it some time, but I just like finding loopholes not fixing them”

Mal couldn’t believe her ears, she’d just been handed an opportunity she thought would take months to get to.  
“I know my mom has been looking for someone to do just that, basically test the servers. Chad is obviously out of the image, leaving just your mother. I think if you’re as good as Evie says maybe we could arrange something where you work for her and live here with us”  
“Really?” Carlos asked.  
“I’m okay with that idea,” Jay said, Mal just nodded.  
“What do you think sis? Out of the pan into the fire?”  
“I think we can trust these two. You need to get out of that house. Right now you could move out, the bitch won’t know until Sunday, she’ll probably call the cops but I doubt they find you.” Evie rattled off.  
“Mum can get him emancipated like she did for Jay, then his mother has no legal rights to him,” Mal said.  
Carlos took a deep breath and closed his game. “When am I doing this?”  
“Let me just call my mom and warn her so if you’re caught we don’t get the fucking swat team here,” Mal said leaning to get her phone off the table.  
“Okay,” Carlos agreed.

“Hi mom”  
“I’m good, Jay has a new boyfriend that’s some kind of tech god, he thinks he can hack your business accounts.”  
“Woah, mom chill, I wanted to clear it with you. I wanted to offer to let him live here and he could work for you, assuming he’s good. His mom is rather insane.”  
“Okay, I’ll make him use our router so your goons know it’s us, but I don’t think it will show. I’ll text you when he’s out”  
“Alright, mom! I’m gonna come get Luce tomorrow too, so I can talk then, love you byeeee” 

“Okay, she’s good with the idea, can’t believe Jay met someone with a brain. Carlos go on our router, the name is something about a dragon.”  
Mal had barely finished talking when Jay watched him switch routers.  
“Jesus I don’t connect that fast with the password” he complained, which made Carlos smile.  
“Got a pen and paper?” Carlos asked Mal tossed her sketchbook to him. He pulled the pen out of the wire spiral and flipped to a clean page. He settled back down and pulled up a couple programs on his computer. Jay watched the windows and number flash across the screen, after a few seconds he had no idea what he was looking at anymore. Ten minutes later Carlos wrote down a string of numbers before closing out all the windows. He threw the pad back to Mal, “ the first number is the main checking account, second is the current balance, third is your mom's social, fourth is her birthday”

“Holy fucking shit” Mal said dialed her mother's number again  
“Hi mom, I know you said text, but he’s out. He got an account number, and balance as well as your birthday and social.”  
“Okay, we’ll be up a while more” with that she hung up.

“You’ve impressed her. She’s making her goons look into it now to see if they noticed anything at all. In the meantime, Jay you failed to make a cake and I want sugar”  
Jay rolled his eyes and stood up walking into the kitchen. He came back a minute later with the bag of sugar and a spoon. “Here you go” he laughed handing them to her.  
“You idiot! Make me something!”

“It’s too late!”Jay argued.  
“You guys like brownies?” Carlos asked moving his laptop off his legs.  
“Duh” Mal said  
“Those take longer than a cake!” Jay pointed out.  
“Shut up and give me four small microwave safe bowls”  
Jay handed them down, Carlos continued asking for ingredients and Jay handed them over. In a couple minutes all four bowls had a thick brown substance in them.  
“Well that looks unappetizing”  
“Hold your fucking horses” Carlos said popping one in the microwave.  
“Do we have ice cream?” Mal asked  
Jay dug in the freezer, “mint chip and vanilla” he told her  
“Throw a scoop of mint on mine, please”  
“Holy shit she said please!” Jay laughed while pulling out the ice cream.  
“Mine too” Evie said.

Carlos pulled the first one out threw a scoop of ice cream on it and handed it to Mal. She took a bite and smiled. “You’re fucking hired. That is amazing”.  
Carlos smiled as he walked back to the kitchen, he leaned against the counter to wait for the microwave to beep again. Jay stepped in front of him and wrapped his arms around the lithe boy, “Computer genius and he can cook. I think Karma just caught up with me”  
Carlos answered him with a kiss, that was broken by the microwave beeping. Carlos pulled away and handed Evie hers. When he got back to the kitchen Jay grabbed him before he could put the next brownie in. “Where were we?” he asked with a smirk.  
“Right here,” Carlos said before kissing him again.

“Well they seem quite lost,” Evie said when she looked to see why the microwave hadn’t beeped again. Mal looked over to the kitchen to see Jay leaning against the wall with Carlos’s legs wrapped around his waist, easily holding up the smaller boy. “Get a room,” Mal said, no malice in her voice.  
Jay pulled away from Carlos to look up at her, “we did, the kitchen” he smirked before kissing Carlos again.

Mal’s phone rang, causing the boys to break apart they wanted to hear what the woman had to say. Carlos tossed in the next brownie and tapped his fingers on the counter absently.

“Yeah, mom?”  
“Really? Awesome, uh, I kinda started dating his best friend, can we all come?”  
“Okay mom, see you then!” she hung up and threw the phone at the table, it bounced and hit the floor.

“Fuck it, tomorrow, we’re having lunch with my mom. There were apparently zero signs of someone having been in the system despite proof that you were.”  
“Do we have to dress all formal and shit?”  
“It’s lunch with mom, not a formal event,” Mal said while getting up to put her bowl in the sink. Carlos handed Jay his bowl, he leaned against the counter and started eating it.  
“Mal’s right you’re hired,” Jay said.

An hour later Jay and Carlos were playing on their computers, Mal and Evie were discussing the creation of the universe, Jay shook his head, Mal had random down to a science.

“Okay guys, awkward question time, how are we handling sleeping? I dunno about you two, but I usually sleep naked and he sleeps in his boxers.” Mal said after a bit.  
“I sleep in a tank top and panties, he sleeps in PJ bottoms, shirt optional” Evie said.  
“Okay so do we all try and sleep dressed, or say fuck it and be comfy?” Mal asked.  
“Awkward now, comfy later,” Jay said. Carlos and Evie nodded.  
“Works for me,” Mal said pulling off her shirt  
“Fucking exhibitionist” Jay joked  
A moment later a totally naked Mal had her blankets up to her shoulders. Evie got changed and slid into bed with her, blushing a light pink. Mal flipped the light off, leaving them in the soft glow of computer screens. A short while later Jay shut down, followed by Carlos. Carlos pulled off his shirt and slid into the sheets. Jay joined him in his boxers a moment later, Carlos immediately curled into his side.

“Well I was going to say if you’re not comfortable I could wear pants, but I see you’re fine.”  
“Your dick is covered, I”m good,” Carlos said while nuzzling against Jay’s neck.  
“Not very high standards” Jay smirked, pressing a kiss to Carlos’s head  
“Not high, specific. Apparently criminal turned auto mechanic is the standard” Carlos said making Jay laugh.  
“Lucky for me, night ‘Los” Jay said, “Night Mallory, Evie”  
“Night Jayden,” Mal said with a laugh before adding “and Los and Evie”  
“Night Jay, Mal, bro” Evie muttered softly, half asleep.  
“Night Evelyn, Mallory and Jayden” Carlos said laughing the whole time. Three groans met his ears as he snuggled into the bed to sleep.


	5. Dogs and Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One update, actually on time. Let me know what you think, I basically live on comments, kudos and bookmarks.

Jay woke up first, Mal was snuggled against Evie, her head tucked under the blue haired girl's chin. Carlos was laying flat on his back with the blankets up to his chin, one arm under his head, the other was looped around Jay’s to hold his hand. Jay smiled, all of his friends looked so young when they were asleep. Mal and Carlos could have been the same age when the purple haired girl wasn’t glaring at the world. He thought about getting out of bed but instead, he shifted to his side and wrapped his arms around Carlos under the blankets. He tried to ignore the small ridges covering the skin of the other, he knew it had to be scars but he hadn’t seen them yet.

Two hours later Mal woke up, she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, it was rare she woke up first but when she did, she went directly into the bathroom. Evie woke up when she heard the bathroom door close, she stretched out and noticed Mal missing. Soft footfalls told her the other girl was back, she rolled to the side and smiled at her view. Mal was leaning over to dig in her dresser.  
“You know I could get used to the scenery,” Evie said softly, she knew Carlos was a notoriously light sleeper and couldn’t believe he was still asleep.  
“Enjoy it while it lasts. I want coffee and I’ve learned about hot liquid and bare skin.” Mal said.  
“Good, that’ll wake ‘Los up, he can’t sleep through anything coffee related.”

“Someone say coffee?”  A  sleepy voice asked from the far bed.  
Mal laughed while Evie answered him, “not yet, give us ten minutes”  
“Kay, comfy” Carlos muttered while burrowing deeper into the blankets.

“Is he always so-” Mal paused as if thinking, “- adorable, in the morning?”  
“Yeah, before he’s really awake and all his defenses kick in, adorable covers him quite well”.  
Mal went and set up the coffee pot, Carlos stretched as the smell filled the apartment, he gave Jay a small shove. Happy when the other boy woke up, he gave him a quick kiss, “morning, coffee is brewing”  
Jay smiled, “coffee and kisses, perfect morning!”  
“I thought blowjobs and beer were more your speed,” Mal said from the kitchen.  
“Well I wouldn’t say no to either, but I’m good with coffee and kisses too,” Jay said grabbing a pair of jeans and going into the bathroom. Evie brought Carlos over a cup of coffee.  
“Half and half and half,” she said with a grin. Carlos took the cup and drained it in one long drag before handing her his cup and going to dig in his bag for an outfit. He went into the bathroom after Jay came out, Mal handing him a coffee cup.

Ten minutes later Carlos came out with his hair hanging nearly straight and dripping onto his shirt.  
“Whatcha do? Wash the toilet with your head?”  
“Took a shower, you may wanna try it sometime”  
“That was barely enough time to get hot water,” Mal said.

Evie ignored the ongoing conversation, she was used to Carlos taking fast showers, “Love the outfit, new?”  
“Yeah, I’m hoping the fabric paint stays on, I’ve never put it on this thin before.”  
“You made that?” Jay asked looking at the white shirt with wide paint brush strokes in red and black, randomly on it.  
“Yeah, the shorts too. I make ninety percent of my clothes, Evie makes the other ten”  
White shorts with black accents and zippers sewn in got Mal’s attention, “those had to be a bitch to cut and sew”  
“Not really, I made the pattern a while back. Pockets for everything, loose enough to be comfy, tight enough to not get hooked on shit, all my shorts use the same pattern so I just add the accents at this point.”   
“Cool,” Jay said  
“E when you’re done with cup number six can you braid this hair out my face”  
“I can do it” Jay offered, “Mal taught me, for her own nefarious reasons, c’mere”  
Carlos walked over and pulled his comb out of a pocket and snapped a hair band off his wrist.  
“Just one straight down the back” Carlos told him. He quickly combed it and braided it as he was asked. Jay snapped the elastic into place and let his hand trail along Carlos' neck to his throat before leaning down to whisper to him, “you like your hair played with don’tcha?”  
“That obvious?” Carlos asked letting his head fall back onto the taller boys shoulder.  
“Mhmm” Jay hummed pressing a kiss to his jaw and neck “The sappy grin really gives it away” Jay grinned before letting him go to get ready himself.  
“He always melts if you touch his hair,” Evie said, smiling when Carlos flipped her off.  
“Jay is the same, I can’t count how many nights he laid his head in my lap trying to get me to pet him like a fucking puppy.”  
“You were always quite happy to oblige me,” Jay said from the bathroom.

The four of them got into Mal’s car and the girl drove home, they drove out of the ghetto, as they drove the houses got nicer and nicer before thinning out so there were wider areas of woods between the homes. Finally, Mal turned into a cobblestone driveway that looked like the last six they’d passed. She stopped in front of old wrought iron gates that were embellished with a metal work dragon with green eyes. Mal rolled down the window and pressed a small black button, “Diablo, open the fucking gates”.  
“Of course Miss Mallory” a disembodied voice answered her.  
“And don’t fucking call me that!” she muttered as the gates swung open. She drove up the long winding driveway stopping in front of an old stone mansion.  
“Jesus Christ” Carlos muttered looking up at the building.  
“Holy Fuck covers it too” Jay laughed, remembering the first time he’d seen the place.  
“Mom calls it Forbidden Fortress, but it’s home,” Mal said while getting up, she waited by the trunk for her friends to clamber out of the car. The walked up together, the door opened as they got near to show a man in his mid-fifties with long, greasy,  black hair.  
“Mallory, your mother isn’t expecting you until later,” he said.  
“I know Diablo, I want to visit Lucy, and maybe piss you off a little” Mal said with a grin, she lived to torment the hired help.  
“As you wish you rotten urchin” Diablo smirked.  
“Well know I know where she learned the smirk from” Evie muttered towards Jay and Carlos.  
Mal lead them up a sweeping staircase and down a seemingly never ending hall before kicking at a door. It swung open to show a room decorated in purple and green, the walls hand painted with dragons and a castle covered in thorns. Over the bed, a large witch-like figure was painted in black with the motto ‘Evil Lives’ across it.

“I take it you’re a Sleeping Beauty fan?” Evie asked.  
“Maleficent fan; I mean she turns into a fucking dragon! It’s a little weird that she has my mom's name, but she’s still bad ass” Mal said, “Let me get Luce and see just how bad Carlos is.”  
“Bad.” Carlos and Evie said at once.  
Mal walked to her door a let out a high pitched whistle. She stared off into the distance, counting down softly under her breath. When she reached one she dropped to her knees and caught a gray blur in her arms. Jay walked over to pet Luce, he was rewarded by being licked half to death. Carlos was a step behind Evie until Evie moved to meet the new animal. Carlos stayed back near Mal’s bed.

“You’ll never meet her from back there,” Mal said.  
“Come on ‘Los she's sweet”  
“She has teeth, no thanks,” Carlos said. Mal rolled her eyes, “Jay, got any ideas here, cuz mine is let her go and lick him to death”.  
“Let me try my way before you traumatize him with Lucy slobber,” Jay said  
“Lucy, down,” he said to the dog, she immediately laid down. “Now you two fuck off behind ‘Los”  
Mal laughed, “come on E, you heard the orders!”  
“I didn’t mean literally you pervert!” Jay laughed. “Come here by me, take your time, but just come sit by me, she won’t move, I have her collar,” Jay said holding the thin chain up to show that Lucy couldn’t move much. Carlos took a deep breath and sat down on the purple carpet three feet away from Jay. He scooted up a little bit and stopped when Lucy tilted her head, he smiled, that was kinda cute. Finally, his knee bumped against Jay’s, “see not so bad” the older boy said, “now let her sniff your hand”  
“Oh come on, I got this close, isn’t a better reward to leave?”  
“No, want me to hold your hand?”  
“Kinda,” Carlos told him, Jay looped their fingers together, holding tight enough that Carlos couldn’t slip way before extending his hand to lucy, she licked their intertwined fingers. Carlos flinched, but Jay moved their hands over to Lucy's head and pressed Carlos’s hand flat to her head. Lucy’s response was to butt her head against his hand before burying her nose in her paws. It was obvious she was confused by the new person who was afraid of her, no one was ever afraid of her! Even the silly mailman loved her.

Slowly Carlos started to relax, his hand still resting on her head, he curled his fingers slightly, making her tail wag so hard her whole body shook. Jay put his arm around Carlos’s shoulders, still holding Lucy with the other hand, his fingers rubbing the fur at her neck. Slowly he slid his hand down away from her collar, she stayed laying where she was, still waiting for Jay to tell her she could move.  
“Roll over girl” Jay said suddenly, Lucy instantly rolled to show her belly, Carlos pulled his hand back, but Jay’s arm kept him in place.  
“Hey, it’s okay, she’s not going to hurt you. Pet her belly, it’s soft like a puppy” Jay said, moving his own hand to the dogs downy like belly. It took Carlos a minute but he did reach out and ruffle the fur near her chest a little.  
“Okay, I touched the dog, can we be done here?”  
“If she walks along with us will you freak out?” Evie asked, knowing Carlos had trouble even passing a dog on the sidewalk.  
“I think I can do it if she’s in front of me” Carlos told her, Mal moved off the bed and jumped over Lucy to stand in the hall, “Come on Luce,” she said patting her leg, Lucy sprung up and stood by her wagging all over.  
Everyone followed the two of them, Mal lead them outside to the gardens. She smiled to see her mother already sitting on a bench. “Hi mom!” she said while going over to hug her, Lucy laid at her feet.  
“Hey ma” Jay grinned giving Mal’s mother a quick hug, over the years she’d basically become a mother to him as well.  
“This is Evie, my girlfriend,” Mal said holding the blue haired girl's hand.  
“Nice to meet you,” Evie said with a smile.  
“And her best friend, my boyfriend, Carlos,” Jay said with a giant grin.  
“Hi,” Carlos said softly.

“You’re the one that thwarted the systems?” Maleficent asked with a raised eyebrow.  
“I’m sort of a technological genius”  
“Like Jay with cars,” Mal said, “and Evie is that way with clothes, she and Carlos make all their own clothes, but she designs tons of other stuff too”  
“And my daughter is?”  
“Managing my businesses much like my mother?” Mal said with a raised eyebrow.   
“That's my rotten little girl!”  
“We're not normal,” Mal said seeing Evie’s and Carlos's confusion, “Neither of us wanted to be the princess of the story, more the lovable bad guy”  
Evie smiled, “it’s working”. Which made Mal blush and her mother laugh.  
Jay looped his arm around Carlos and pulled him to sit on one of the benches. “So why are you two not in school?”  
“We’re skipping the day, neither of us really needs to go but our parents won’t take us out, so we go enough stay out of trouble.” Evie said, Carlos shot her a look, “Okay I go enough to stay out of trouble, I have no idea why ‘Los still goes”  
“I’m hoping I can make Aziz have a coronary before graduation,” Carlos said, making Maleficent laugh.  
“This wouldn’t be Jay’s cousin Aziz, would it?”  
“The same” Jay answered.  
“Yuck,” Maleficent muttered, making Mal and Jay laugh.  
“My mother basically hates Jay’s entire family,” Mal told the other two, “of course she hated him at first too”  
“Yeah, well most mothers would be a little upset to find their daughter had decided to shack up with a would-be mugger who tried to ruin her family”   
Mal looked over at Jay who was talking softly to Carlos, the later was petting Lucy again while Jay rubbed small circles on his back.  
“Yeah, real evil mastermind over there” Mal muttered  
“What about me?” Jay asked  
“Nothing! Her tennis ball is over there” Mal said pointing to the green ball at the edge of the garden.  
“Later, I think ‘Los might almost like her”  
Carlos bumped his shoulder against the older boy, “I like her, I just don’t want to get bitten”

“His mom used to tell him dogs were vicious pack animals that’ were basically killers,” Mal said seeing her mother's confusion.  
“Sounds like a charming woman, what’s the family name?”  
“De Vil,” Carlos said.  
Maleficent gasped, “Cruella?”  
“That’s his mom,” Mal said.  
Maleficent looked shocked, “that creature has a child? I can’t imagine her raising puppies!”  
“Hence why I’m trying to get you to give him that little security job. He’s going to move in with us, well he’s more planning on just not going home, but it comes out the same.”  
“You, my dear, have a saving people problem!” Maleficent told her daughter.  
“Not with this one!” Mal said pointing at Evie.  
“Do I dare ask?” Maleficent raised an eyebrow.  
“Grimhilde Queen” Evie said, watching Maleficent.  
“Miss-teen look at my ass winner?” Maleficent said before she could stop herself,  
Mal started laughing, followed by Evie. Jay and Carlos weren't paying attention them, Lucy had her head in Carlos’s lap while both boys petted her.  
“Best description ever!” Evie said, “that’s her!”  
“She must be so happy with a lesbian daughter,” Maleficent said  
“Wouldn’t know, she think’s I’m with Jay and Carlos is with Mal” Evie said.  
“Has she met any of them?”  
“She know’s ‘Los and she’s met Jay once.”  
“I take it they weren’t together when she met him”  
“No, Carlos waited in the car while Jay practiced his acting,” Evie said, “she want's me to marry rich, so Jay’s looks and Mal’s car worked quite well for her”  
Maleficent looked torn between amusement and horror, “and you’re okay with this Mal?”  
“Mhmm, someday we’ll correct her, but for now I get my Blueberry and Jay owes me enough favors I could probably make him walk down the aisle for me”  
“Like hell, you could!" Jay protested.

Diablo choose that moment to tell them lunch was ready. The five of them went inside to a small dining room, the table laden down with sandwich fixings, chips, and some other finger foods.Maleficent, Jay, and Carlos sat on one side, Mal sat across from Jay and Evie sat across from Carlos. They ate and chatted more, Carlos and Evie quickly relaxed finding that Maleficent placed her daughter's happiness over almost everything else, and anyone could see the four of them were quite happy together. Evie kicked Carlos’s leg gently under the table and gave his plate a pointed look, he sighed getting the message, Evie always seems to know when he was eating too much.

“So Carlos, is there anything you can't do on a computer?”  
“Not really, once in a while I even manage things that are impossible. No one told me what I shouldn’t be able to do so I just try things until what I want happens.”  
“Such as what?” Maleficent was intrigued.  
“Well I used my computer to change tv channels my whole life, the cable and internet ran on the same wire so I sent the signal that way rather than a traditional remote. When I told my science teacher she told me it wasn’t possible and that it just didn’t work that way. Also grabbing your account numbers.” Carlos said with a small smile.  
“That was fucking impressive to watch” Jay said.  
“It was impressive that you didn't leave a single trace”  
“That’s simple, just route through a company computer, if you’d checked the logs carefully you'd have seen your personal laptop connected to the mainframe at the same time I got the numbers.”  
“But I was on my laptop, it did no such thing”  
“I know, I made my computers digital fingerprint match your computer”  
“Wait so you hacked her computer first, got that information then went into the company system?” Mal said in disbelief  
“Yeah, took a little longer, but the goal was untraceable.”  
“Longer? It took me longer to call my goons than it took you to get supposedly secure information” Maleficent said.  
Carlos looked down and blushed, “I wouldn’t go in without permission”  
Maleficent laughed, “No, you’re not my daughter or Jay for that matter. Something tells me you usually do innocent things like changing tv channels, maybe editing your school schedule”  
Evie smirked, “He changed his grades once, made them lower so they wouldn't put him up another grade.”  
Everyone laughed at that. “After lunch, I’d like to sort of test you, you’re hired either way, but I’d like to see how vulnerable our system is.”  
“Okay,” Carlos said softly.

Twenty minutes later Carlos was listing off numbers and dates to Maleficent, the later was in shock. Carlos had decided to use his cell phone, she’d offered her laptop, but he wanted the challenge. Maleficent had a suspicion about one of her workers, Carlos was pretty quickly confirming it. “I’ve had funds coming from accounts that I didn’t authorize. Do you think you could trace that?”  
“Each transaction has a half percent transaction going to an offshore account. I assumed it was a savings system you’d put in place.”  
“I’ve done no such thing.”  
“Want me to trace it and route the money back?”  
“You can do that? I’d be happy to just know who did!” Maleficent said  
“Account name is Briar Rose. The money will be back to your account in the next 24 hours, I don’t want to yank it all at once and alert the banks. I also tucked the files away proving what was going on, just in case she tries to get the money back you can prove it wasn’t hers, to begin with  
“Jesus Christ” Maleficent muttered  
“Holy fuck, you’ve made her speechless, last time that happened I’d told her I was dating Jay.”  
“Why on this earth would you date Jay?” Carlos asked her  
“You have no idea how many time’s I ‘ve wanted to ask you that!” Mal said laughing, “It was easier than explaining why I’d really taken him in”  
“Yes, my daughter is quite mean to me. If you’ll excuse me I have an employee to fire and a new one to put into the system. It was nice to meet you guys, Carlos I’ll be in touch.” She moved to pull both Mal and Jay into a hug at once, “you two better behave! And so help me god if you hurt one of them!”  
“Mom! You're supposed to tell them not to hurt us!”  
“I don’t think they’d know how to hurt someone,” Maleficent said.  
“We do okay,” Evie said with a smile  
“I’m gonna take Luce home for a while,” Mal said  
“Diablo will thank you, you trained her well, she pees in his shoes every morning,” Maleficent said, her voice disapproving, while Mal laughed. They said their goodbyes and got back in the car. Lucy laid on the seat between Mal and Evie.

The next morning the four of them were awakened by Evie’s alarm. The blue haired girl immediately got up and went into the bathroom, before making their daily requirement of coffee. Mal grumbled and pulled the blankets over her head to go back to sleep. Jay kissed Carlos’s forehead before pulling the smaller boy to lay on top of him. Carlos burrowed into the nook of his neck with a smile, “much better than the bed” he murmured softly. “No going to sleep, you guys are going to school remember?”  
“‘S-dark o’clock, don’t gotta get up yet, E will wake me,” Carlos said, Jay was rubbing his back slightly and before he knew it they were both back asleep. 

Evie drank her coffee before taking her clothes in to shower and get ready for school when she came out she saw Carlos laying on Jay and smiled. Something about them was endlessly adorable. She went to get another cup of coffee, she knew Carlos could be ready in less than ten minutes,  so she let him sleep.

Evie glanced at the clock and sighed, she better get everyone up or they would be late, four people in one bathroom made it hard to get ready. She slipped into the bed with Mal, laying carefully so she didn’t mess up her outfit. “Mal, time to wake up baby” she whispered in the other girl's ear letting her hand trail over the other girls bare hip. “Don’t wanna” Mal whined. Evie leaned down to kiss her before pulling back when she felt Mal kiss her back, “come on, you promised you’d take me to school”.  
“Ugh” Mal whined stretching out. Evie slid out of the bed and fixed her shirt. “I hope you don’t wake ‘Los up like that”.  
“Well I did once, but it was on a dare,” Evie said with a smirk, walking over to the boys she grabbed their blanket and pulled it off both of them. Carlos whined but didn’t wake up. “Damnit that always gets him up, he hates being cold.”  
Mal looked over and laughed, “he’s laying on Jay, who is a walking heater”.  
“How do you wake Jay up then? Cuz ‘Los tends to startle really badly if you shake him or anything”  
“Well, I”ve put ice in his boxers, a snake in his bed, his hand in warm water. Let’s just say he’s made a habit of waking up before me”.  
“Would you two shut the fuck up? You’ll wake Carlos” Jay said holding the other boy tight, leaving his eyes shut.  
“‘Already awake” Carlos muttered “assholes”.  
Jay stretched, moving easily under Carlos, as the little voice in the back of his head pointed out that it shouldn’t be that easy to move. He finally opened his eyes to see messy black and white hair, a long pale neck with random freckles. Jay smiled and pressed a kiss to the pale expanse of skin. “Come on sleeping beauty, you gotta go to school too, maybe we can piss of Azzy-bear this morning”  
“Where the hell did you get a name that vile?”  
“His ex” Jay said  
“Who was his ex, Satan?”  
“Pretty much,” Jay said, “come on, I gotta pee and you laying on my bladder isn't really helping.”  
“Pfft, I don’t weigh anything,” Carlos said, moving off the other boy.  
“You don’t weigh much, you still weigh something,” Jay told him while walking to the bathroom. Carlos stood up and got changed, ignoring the girls.  
“Didn’t take long for you to get comfy around Mal” Evie said with a grin.  
“She sleeps naked with you, I don’t think she will give a single fuck about a guy's boxers.  
“Whose boxers, I might give a fuck,” Jay said coming out of the bathroom.  
“Impeccable timing” Mal laughed, “Carlos’ boxers, you just missed the show”  
“Well fuck,” Jay said looking over to the other boy who had pulled on a pair of shorts, “I vote you go to school like that.”  
Carlos shrugged and tossed his shirt in the corner with his backpack, “I’ll put it on before I go in the building.”  
Evie felt her jaw drop, Carlos didn’t go shirtless ever, she’d watched him practically sweat to death at the skatepark last summer. Oh well, if he was happy she’d leave him alone, hopefully, the rest of their school felt the same.

“How’s the school usually treat him?” Mal asked as Carlos went into the bathroom.   
“Bad, he’s their favorite person to bully, he's tiny, he’s nerdy and just generally strange. We don’t really hang out at the school since he’s a loner and I’m on the cheer squad.” Evie said Mal wanted to hit her head, of course, Evie was a cheerleader. “Anytime I try to hang out with him he bitches that he’ll ruin my reputation and disappear into the halls.”  
“That’s stupid,” Mal said.  
“It’s Carlos he doesn't always make sense, some days he stands up to people and no one bothers him, others he comes out beaten and bruised.”  
“More standing up I think, I’ve pretty well fucking had it with school” Carlos said while getting his coffee.  
“Well you’d almost be done but you didn’t want to go up another grade” Evie said.  
“Yeah; class with Aziz sounds like a real joy” Carlos rolled his eyes.

Fifteen minutes later Mal pulled into a parking spot on the road in front of the school and killed the engine, they had twenty minutes until class started. The four of them got out of the car, Mal pulled Evie to her and leaned against the front bumper, Jay stood next to her, Carlos was next to him holding his hand. The grass in front of the school was full of kids with their friends, chatting, laughing and finishing up last second homework. Carlos pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “Isn’t this school grounds?” Jay asked.  
“Nope ends at that tree right there,” Carlos said pointing to a huge oak, less than five feet away from them.”  
Jay chuckled and lit his own smoke.  
“One of you share” Mal demanded, she didn’t smoke much, but being near a school jangled her nerves, Jay handed one over to her.  
“I want one too,” Evie said. Carlos looked at her before handing her one, she smoked very rarely, usually because she wanted to fit in. “Four teens, bad ass car, all smoking, no one will fuck with any of us”  
“Oh you’re overestimating Aziz's intelligence, actually the whole football team is pretty dull,” Carlos said before snuggling against Jay’s side. Jay trailed his hand down the bare skin with a smile if this had been how he started each school day maybe he would have graduated.

“Aziz, two o’clock” Mal muttered after a few moments “seems to be ignoring us, got a grade-A glare, though”.  
“If he gives either of you any trouble text me,” Jay said.  
“He gives me any trouble I think I’ll beat the shit out of him,” Carlos said softly.  
“Still, I wanna know. And I know once his friends jump in you’re screwed.”  
“Maybe not, it’s been a long time since I had something to fight for, aside from just being in less pain,” Carlos said looking up into Jay’s eyes.  
“Oh barf” Mal muttered while Evie shushed her.  
Jay ignored her and kissed his boyfriend, he grabbed the back of Carlos’s thighs and pulled him up, Carlos took the hint and wrapped his legs around the taller boy's waist without breaking the kiss. Mal watched a few people turn to look at them, but for the most part, no one seemed to care. Evie saw Chad look over at them and glare before hitting Aziz in the arm and pointing at them. The dark haired boy shook his head and turned his back on his cousin to ignore them.  
Carlos pulled away and let his forehead rest against Jay’s “So far this is my best day of school ever”.  
“Happy to help” Jay smiled and let his hand run through Carlos’s hair.

Evie was busy teasing Mal, the blue haired girl kissing along the purple haired girl's neck.  
“Don’t start anything you can’t finish” Mal warned.  
“Oh, I intend to finish it, just not in the near future” Evie smirked before catching Mal’s lips. Mal quickly deepened the kiss, nipping at Evie's lip. 

“Okay, you two, E and I have a class to get to!” Carlos said, dropping his legs back to the ground. Evie groaned and pulled away from Mal, “I’ll see you later right?”  
“You know it, we’ll be right here when school lets out,” Mal said, “Come on Jay, I have places to be and people to torment!” she dropped another kiss to Evie's lips, the blue haired girl grabbed her backpack off the roof and walked into the building. Carlos leaned into the car and grabbed his shirt and bag. He slung the shirt around his neck and the bag over his shoulder before kissing Jay. Evie had already walked into the school. “Try to have a good day babe.”  
“I will, it’s gonna start with the security idiot telling me to put a shirt on” he smirked.  
“Oh lord, are you going to be a little bad ass today?”  
“Me? Never, just going to have a little fun” Carlos grinned and spun to walk into the building, Jay got in the car and watched Carlos walk into the building, sure enough, the guard stopped him and Carlos pulled his shirt on. 

Mal flipped the car into gear and drove off, Jay leaned back against the seat, “so who do you need to torment?”  
“You! Oh my fucking god you two are disgusting!” Mal whined.   
“Says the girl who was sucking face with a blueberry” Jay said, “we’re fairly innocent, you two are like a softcore porno” he laughed when Mal blushed.


	6. The Gift

Carlos walked into homeroom to whispers that fell silent as he walked in only to start up again. That continued throughout the day. At lunch, Evie came up to him and sat with him.  
“What are you doing?” He asked.  
“Sitting with you, and no you can’t go hide”  
“Sure I can, the whispers are worse than ever! It’s social suicide! He said.  
“Have you listened to the whispers? Evie asked.  
“Hell no,” Carlos whined.  
“You’re basically at the top right now. Someone recognized Jay as the son of the Cobra’s leader, I don’t think anyone is stupid enough to fuck with you with that kind of protection.”  
“But Jay isn’t with his dad” Carlos pointed out  
“They don’t seem to know that” Evie smiled, happy that her friend was going to be given a break.  
“Aziz will fix that then, give it a little more time,” Carlos said eating his lunch, school politics never interested him, even when he was involved, he just wanted to be left alone.  
“Still I’m eating lunch with you,” Evie said starting on her salad.  
“I’ll be sure to stay away from your reputations funeral”  
“Okay, you gonna hang for cheer practice? Mal is gonna pick us up after”  
“Yeah I’ll hide under the bleachers”  
“Or you could sit on them like a human” Evie said with a laugh.  
“We’ll see. If no one screws with me by final bell I’ll sit on them, any shit at all and I’ll enjoy my solitude.”  
“”I’ll see you on the bench” Evie laughed.

As the final bell rung Carlos cursed in his head, no one had bothered him. No rude comments, no shoves into lockers, nothing at all, so he trudged out to the football field and sat on the bench. The football team started running their drills while the cheerleaders warmed up, he gave Evie a half-hearted wave. The sun beat down on them, he thought about it for a minute then pulled his shirt off. Technically he wasn’t in school, and the day had gone well enough he was feeling pretty confident. Evie noticed a few minutes later and wolf whistled at him, he flipped her off while trying to hide a grin.

An hour later both practices let out, Evie signaled that she’d be a few minutes before running off to the locker rooms. Carlos watched Aziz and Chad walk across the field towards him, he groaned, surely his peace wouldn’t be ruined in the last ten minutes of his day.  
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Chad asked as they got close.  
“Enjoying the sun, supporting my best friend, watching the football players asses, take your pick,” Carlos said flippantly. Chad looked at him, Carlos never acted like that, calm and confident were two words he’d never use to describe the pale boy.  
“Wonder where Jay found a spare spine, clearly he must have since you now own one” Aziz muttered.  
“A spine, and I’m told a pretty foul attitude, so why don’t you leave me the fuck alone”  
“I would” Aziz started “but I’d hate for you to think it’s okay to be such a fag. Everyone saw you this morning half dressed hanging on Jayden as if it was normal. Now you’re out here, yet again half dressed.”  
“You seem awfully concerned about my clothing,” Carlos said tilting his head like he’d seen Lucy do. “I don’t remember anyone complaining when I was hanging on Chad. Could it be that you’re pissy I’m not his little whore anymore?”  
“Still a whore” Chad muttered.  
“Yep,” Carlos said letting the P pop, he saw Evie out of the corner of his eye, grateful he’d be leaving soon. “But never yours again. I’d suggest you all fuck off, I don’t know why you like me so much, but it’s awfully gay” he said looking right at Aziz. He honestly had no idea how the boy could be homophobic with Chad for a best friend. “Excuse me, Jay is waiting for me,” he said as Evie reached the benches.

“Yeah you and Evelyn picked up the bad kids, we know. You’ll both regret it.”  
“The only thing I regret is that I’m walking away from this without hitting you,” Carlos said looping his arm through Evie’s and leading her away.

“What in the fuck was that,” she asked as they walked around the building.   
“A pathetic attempt at bullying,” Carlos said smiling when he saw Mal’s car, Jay was leaning against the door, Mal was sitting on the hood.   
“I still think Jay should beat the shit out of his cousin,” Evie said.  
“Nah, if he gives me much more shit I will, though, I think I could take them if I’m actually eating and not getting hurt at home,” Carlos said.

The four of them rode home talking about their day, Jay didn’t like that people still associated him with his father, but since it protected Carlos he tried to ignore it. As they walked in the door Lucy ran straight for Carlos, he flinched and she stopped to look at him. Sensing his fear she sat and tilted her head, confused. He quickly calmed down, when he saw her tail wagging her whole back end.  
“Hey girl,” He said patting her head. He was rewarded with his arm being licked half off of him.  
“I don’t wanna cook” Jay whined, glaring towards the kitchen.  
“So don’t,” Mal said “We can order shit, or I can cook”  
“You Ms. Burned a pot of water, will cook?”  
“I can cook,” Carlos said.  
“You don’t have to we can order out”  
“I kinda like to cook, never got much of a chance to”  
“Congratulations you’re cooking,” Mal said with a grin. She watched Carlos’s face light up with a smile and shook her head, he got happy over the smallest things.  
He went to dig through the kitchen deciding what to cook; he seemed to decide pretty quickly pulling something out of the freezer and using the microwave to defrost it. He flopped on the couch to wait. “What’re we having?” Evie asked she loved Carlos’s cooking, even if all he did was follow recipes he found online.  
“Steak, rice and whatever passes for a veggie around here.”  
“Fuck yes!” Mal said  
“Guess it was a good pick”  
“Steak is always a good choice” Jay agreed  
“Never had it before,” Carlos said. Mal stared at him, that was the second time in five minutes she’d been reminded just how bad his childhood was.  
“How can you cook something you've never had?” Mal asked.   
“The internet. If I only cooked thing’s I’d eaten it’d be a really short list.” Carlos told them as the microwave beeped, he flipped the meat and restarted it. “Do we have music inside? Or should I get my laptop for that?”  
Jay turned the tv on and kicked what turned out to be the stereo. Evie grabbed the remote and turned the volume up. “His favorite band,” she said pointing at Carlos “I kinda like them too”.  
Carlos worked on dinner while singing along and swaying his hips to the beat, Jay lounged on the couch, his head dangling off the edge to watch Carlos. Evie was busy making Mal dance in the space between the beds. In what felt like no time Carlos had four plates made up, he took his and Jay’s to the couch, telling the girls theirs was on the counter. He grinned, Jay and Mal were right steak was a good choice.

Wednesday after dropping Evie and Carlos at school Mal had a surprise for Jay.  
“Uhm, Mal, home is that way,” he said as they sped past their street.  
“Not going home, got a surprise for you”  
“Should I be happy or scared?” Jay asked.  
“Both, scared first, but I think you can work with it,” Mal said with a smirk, she pulled into a junkyard and parked bumper to bumper with a pale pink pick-up truck. She went into a small building to talk to the owner of the yard, leaving Jay in the car. He wasn’t even trying to guess what she was doing at the junkyard. Sure they came here a lot, but usually, it was for parts, but right now he didn’t need any spare parts.

She came out and leaned on the open window, “So I didn’t do much for your birthday, because I was trying to get this done, anyway, happy late birthday” she said dropping the keys into his lap. “You may want to paint her, pink isn’t really your color”.  
Mal stepped back as he went to open the door, he pulled her into a hug, ignoring her protests.  
“You are fucking awesome! Thank you” he said.  
“You’re welcome, now let me go before I bite,” Mal said with a small smile  
“You won’t bite me, you don't want food poisoning” Jay joked, still holding the purple haired girl.  
“No, no I don’t. Come on, let's go home, the truck runs pretty well, just don’t stop for too long or it stalls out.”  
“So stop lights are suggestions, got it” he laughed while walking over to the truck. It was older, he guessed early 90’s the logo on the grill told him it was a Ford, he was happy to see it wasn’t a stick. Those made driving work, and he wanted to have fun.

Mal backed out of the junkyard onto the main road and sped off towards home, Jay quickly followed her. The truck obviously needed some work, but most of it was cosmetic, aside from whatever made it stall out. He made it home with no stalls and smiled when he saw Mal had parked outside, he drove onto the lift, he would have to work on customer cars soon, but he could take a quick look at his own truck first. He smiled as he got out, he couldn’t believe he finally had a car of his own, sure he’d stole and borrowed them since he was a kid, but they’d never been all his.

“It’s a ‘93, F150,” She said as he popped the hood.  
“I’d guessed early 90’s. Looks to be in really good shape, mileage was basically nonexistent”  
“It was the guy's mom’s, he’s been having a hell of a time selling it.”  
“He should have painted it”  
“You and Carlos can do that”  
“Since I have a way to, I think I’ll take him out tomorrow, you and Evie can have the house for a few hours”  
“Sounds like a plan,” Mal said leaning on the edge of the truck, looking into the engine. “May as well be the fucking human brain” she muttered walking away.

Jay went to dig through their supplies, he had some paint left, it was a deep maroon, but anything was better than pink. He glanced at the clock, if he prepped and painted now he’d be done by the time they went to get Evie and Carlos, but he’d have to work after they were home to catch up on business. Pulling out the can of paint he said fuck it. He pulled the truck out into the road and washed it, luckily it was hot so he didn’t need to wait long for it to dry. He quickly brushed on the paint. Someday he’d paint it the right way, but for now baked on exterior high gloss would have to do it. Anything was better than pink.

He walked upstairs to take a shower, Mal started laughing at him, “you were going to paint the truck, not yourself!”.  
“Yeah, yeah, let me shower and we’ll go get the brats,” Jay said with a smile, he grabbed a pair of shorts and went into the bathroom.  
“Underwear!” Mal yelled into him.  
“Too fucking hot!” he yelled back, which renewed her laughter.  
He came out twenty minutes later paint free, his shorts slung low on his hips.  
“You know everyone once in awhile I question my commitment to vagina”  
“Oh shut up and braid my hair back,” Jay told her.  
“Then you open your fucking mouth and ruin the view” she giggled while running her fingers through his hair to divide it. “You know it’s gonna be a frizzy mess tomorrow if I braid it wet”  
“Shut up and get this shit up off my neck”  
“That would be a haircut,” Mal said quickly braiding his hair before flipping it up and pinning it as flat as she could.

They got in her car and drove to the school, Evie didn't have practice today. They leaned on the car and watched the kids come pouring out of the school. Evie came out surrounded by other kids talking and chatting. Mal felt a pang of jealousy, she’d never had friends like that, only cautious minions. Evie broke away from her friends and pulled Mal into a kiss, they missed Carlos coming out, Jay didn’t and he couldn’t help but laugh. The second he was out of the doors he dropped his bag and pulled his shirt off, before picking his bag back up and walking to their car. Jay watched girls turn to look at him and shook his head, boy were they barking up the wrong tree.  
“Hey Babe” Carlos greeted loud enough for those loitering near them to hear.  
“Hi, there gorgeous” he grinned before kissing the other boy. He vaguely heard one girl complain ‘all the hot guys are gay’.   
“Guess what Mal gave me today!” Jay said.  
“A bruise, a purple nurple, an Indian burn” Carlos listed off a small smile on his lips.  
“Nope a truck”  
“Like Hotwheels?”  
“No like a ‘93 Ford F-150, I painted it, sort of. So since I have a car I was thinking I’d take you on a date tomorrow”  
“Sounds like a plan. ‘93 is kinda old, hows it run?”  
“Kinda like Mal”  
“So hard to start, but pretty good once you get her going,” Carlos said laughing. In less than a week Mal had become like another sister.  
“Yeah, likes to stall out at lights and things too,” Jay said, “I’m hoping my favorite person in the world will help me fix it up”  
“I don’t think Lucy’s thumbs are in the right place”  
“I mean you, ya twat” Jay laughed  
“I think Luce knows more about cars”  
“I’ll teach you, think of it as a fun little project.”  
“Oh fine; I’ll take it as an invite to stare at your ass while you lean over the engine.”  
Jay laughed and pulled the door open, successfully dislodging Mal and Evie. Mal took the hint and climbed in the driver's seat. 

Evie and Mal went upstairs, Mal was going to attempt to cook, while Evie did homework. Jay had cars to work on and Carlos was going to keep him company and finish his homework.  
“So where you gonna take me tomorrow?”  
“It’ll be a surprise, you’ll love it,” Jay said from under a car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all still with me! This part of the story is rather slow, but I'm trying to set us all up for the "oh holy fuck" moments. Next chapter is a mush-storm then things get shaky before all hell breaks loose. I love comments, the interaction with my readers is my favorite part of writing. I also linked up my FB on my profile for those that aren't offended often and would like to follow along with my cursing at stories that don't want to be written.


	7. The date(s)

The smoke alarm broke through the relative quiet of the evening, followed by Mal cursing.  
“Dinner is done, we’re having pizza!” she yelled down to them.

Carlos met Jay in the parking lot of the school after classes.  
“I think that’s the most days I’ve gone to school in a row all year,” Carlos said with a smile.  
“We’ll have to let you skip tomorrow then. I promised Mal the house until ten, so that can be your excuse.”  
“Eh, I think I’m gonna drop out the end of this year anyway” Carlos told him  
“Why the hell would you do that?”  
“I can home-school myself and go to college, probably by the time my senior year would be starting,” Carlos told him.  
“I know you’re smart, but that smart?”  
“When I hacked the school to adjust my grades the first time they were suggesting me for twelfth grade.” Carlos looked at him and added, “I was in seventh grade”.  
“Jesus fucking Christ”

Jay turned on to the highway, Carlos slid across the seat to sit against him.  
“Comfy?”  
“Mhmm, still wanna know where we’re going”  
“Well I talked to Evie and she told me you love the beach, so I figure we’ll go get sand in our balls, then have dinner and then a surprise”  
“Sounds like a damn good idea to me” Carlos agreed, “didya think to bring swimsuits?”  
“Yeah; breaking and entering is one of my many talents, Evie told me where you keep your swim stuff”  
Carlos snorted, “would have made a fun headline if you got caught”  
“I don’t get caught, ninety-nine percent of the time anyway”  
“Like I said” Carlos, “hilarious headlines”.  
Jay squeezed Carlos to his side and planted a quick kiss on his head.

Jay found a parking spot and grabbed two bags out of the back of the truck, Carlos reached out and took his absently playing with the fake dog tail he’d clipped to one of the zippers.  
“You know most people have a lucky rabbit's foot, not dog tail,” Jay said watching him run the fur through his fingers.  
“I know, the tail was a gift from my cousin, he was trying to show me dogs weren't scary. You and Mal did a way better job” Carlos said with a small laugh. After a while Jay noticed Carlos didn’t go very far into the water and seemed to watch the waves, moving back on the shore whenever a large one came in.  
“Why don’t you come out here?” Jay asked he was out up to his shoulders, each wave crashing over his head.  
“No idea how to swim, and I don’t really want to be washed out to sea”  
“How about if I stay with you, think you could come a little farther then?”  
“Maybe, never tried. I just always stay at knee level”  
Jay used the next wave to swim quickly back to Carlos, he looped his arm around the pale waist, slowly the two boys walked farther out.  
“If a really big wave comes just hold your breath, pinch your nose and close your eyes, I got you,” Jay told him when the water reached Carlos’s belly button. Carlos was clinging to his side.  
“This is kinda fun, once it stops being terrifying,” Carlos told him, loosening his grip just a little.  
“Mhmm, if you want in a little bit I know of a really cool spot to watch the sunset, it’s in the water, but there are no waves” Jay said, he’d found the spot one time when his father was conducting business along the shoreline, even Mal didn’t know it existed.  
“Sounds cool,” Carlos said as a wave crashed over his shoulders.

Forty minutes later both boys were walking along the shore, their bags on their shoulders. The sandy beach ended quickly giving way to rocky outcroppings and sparse areas of sand. Jay navigated through it quickly before carefully walking around a small ledge. Carlos followed him, wondering how on Earth Jay had found such a place the first time. As he slipped around the ledge he gasped,  they were on the edge of a small crescent shaped beach, Fifty feet out was a bunch of rocks that were breaking the waves so the water was calm. Jay dropped his bag and smiled at Carlos, “Welcome to the best spot on the beach”.  
“This is fucking amazing!” Carlos told him, “how deep is it?”  
“It’s pretty shallow, then it gets really deep like ten feet from the rocks, I can’t even dive to the bottom out there.”  
Carlos walked into the water then walked a little further, feeling each step with his foot, it was a gentle slope before it leveled off just below his chin. High waves made little ripples come up almost to his mouth, so he walked a little closer to the shore. Jay swam out to the rocks then ducked under the water and swam to Carlos, he grabbed the other boy’s leg under the water, laughing in a wave of bubbles when he heard him yell.  
“I wouldn't pull you under. At least not until you can swim, after that Mal says I’m an asshole”  
“Mal says you're an asshole 24/7, half the time I think it’s just her nickname for you.”  
“It is, and dumbass, fuckface, douchebag, loser...” Jay trailed off “sometimes she mixes it up and calls me Jayden”  
Carlos laughed before wrapping his arms around the taller boy's neck and kissing him, “I like Jay best”  
“Me too, especially coming from you,” Jay said holding the slim boy.  
The sky around them turned pink, before turning to orange and fading into darkness.  
“Come on gorgeous, let’s go find some food,” Jay said lacing his fingers with Carlos. Both boys waded out of the water, Jay lead him to a little-used set of changing rooms.  
“Your choice, real food or McDonald's?” Jay asked  
“McDonald's, no question!” Carlos chimed back making Jay laugh.   
“I’ve never heard someone answer that fast”  
“I don’t like restaurants, the whole not able to eat much at once makes them odd. Burgers I can munch on for hours and no one cares.” Carlos said pulling his shirt over his head and walking out of the stall with his towel wrapped around his hair.  
“I thought only girls did that hair hat thing”  
“I wear dresses, I do the hair thing, I’ve been known to wear makeup, I cook and clean, I promise I’m a guy” Carlos smirked before adding, “I have the dick to prove it.”  
Jay smirked right back at him, “someday you’ll have to prove it”. Carlos still had a smirk, it was starting to unsettle Jay, the other boy wasn’t really known for being evil. Suddenly Carlos was right in front of him, the freckled boy held Jay’s wrist for a second, almost as if debating his next move. He held the tanned boy's hand to his stomach, before gently pushing it down across the bulge in his crotch. He let him go almost immediately, pressed a kissed to his jaw then grabbed his bag and walked out the door.  
“Jesus fucking Christ” Jay muttered softly before walking out after Carlos. Jay let his arm drop around the others shoulders. They walked back to the truck, joking and shoving each other the whole way.

Jay drove to the nearest McDonald's, “anything specific you want?”  
“Burgers and coke,” Carlos told him.  
Jay ordered ten burgers and two large cokes, Carlos sat the food on the other side of him and held the drinks while Jay drove.  
“Where we going?”  
“Somewhere special, really special,” Jay said. It took almost twenty minutes before they pulled into a grassy field, Jay killed the engine, reached across Carlos for the food and hopped out of the car, Carlos scrambled after him.  
“What the hell are we going to do out there?”  
Jay ignored him and pulled the tailgate down, he sat the food down and hopped up on the tailgate. He walked over to the bags and opened them to show two quilts and a few pillows, he laid the stuff out before grabbing the food and sitting on the edge of the truck.  
“Moon lit dinner and stargazing, come on,” Jay said, Carlos continued to look at him as if he had three heads. After a moment he climbed into the bed of the truck and crawled over to Jay. He surprised him by kissing him. Jay pulled him into his lap and deepened the kiss, tongue, and teeth crashed together. Neither boy was about to complain, when the need for air forced them apart Jay rested his forehead against Carlos’s.  
“I take it that was my thank you?” Jay asked softly.  
“No, but thanks, no one has ever done something like this for me before”  
“Really? Has no one talked to Evie about you, she basically told me that beach, food, and stars are your favorite things besides me and your laptop” Jay told him  
“Probably not,” Carlos said before reaching into the bag to grab a burger, he handed one to Jay and unwrapped his.

When he finished it he laid down, in the time it took him to eat one burger Jay ate two, then laid down next to him. He put his arm out and Carlos scooted closer, using his arm as a pillow, both boys laying on their back. After a few moments, Carlos started talking softly pointing out some of the constellations. He’d always been fascinated with the universe, as a kid he’d built a telescope, but his mother smashed it.

“Wonder what Mal and Evie are up to”  
“Well Evie was planning a romantic evening, so probably doing disgusting things on the couch”  
“You don’t give her much credit” Carlos observed.  
“I do, she just likes sex, she also likes Evie,” Jay told him.  
“Fair enough, I know Evie isn’t exactly a saint”  
“And you are,” Jay asked, a laugh clear in his voice.  
“Depends on who you ask; usually they tell you I’m a tease”  
Jay thought back to eh changing room, “I’m gonna have to agree”  
Carlos laughed and reached for another burger.

“So what makes this place so special, other than a major lack of light pollution?”  
“There used to be a house here; it’s where my mom grew up. The house burned down when I was a kid, but I always liked coming out here. Probably because my dad wouldn’t come out here”.  
“Thanks for bringing me out here”  
“Anytime, we should probably go home in the near future, though; I’d hate to let Mal have too much fun,” Jay said. Carlos took the hint and climbed back into the truck, Jay balled the blankets back up into the tote bin.

Evie was busying cooking, Mal had run to the store, so Evie had roughly twenty minutes to set up their date. She turned the stove up then went to clear the coffee table. She cursed Jay into the seventh level of hell for not using his ashtrays while sweeping butts into a plastic shopping bag. As soon as she got the table cleared off she grabbed her backpack and pulled out a tablecloth. She’d made Jay bring her home to get a few things yesterday after he told her she’d have Mal all to herself for a few hours. Evie finished setting the coffee table up and laughed, there was something comical about a romantic candlelit dinner served on throw away dishes with plastic cutlery.

She went back to the kitchen and threw the pasta in the pot, before opening a can of sauce. She cooked as well as Mal did, apparently they’d have to live with Jay and Carlos forever or they’d starve to death. She’d just finished putting the spaghetti on their plates when she heard Mal pull into the garage. Mal came up the stairs with a bag in her hand, Evie took the bag and gave her a kiss.  
“Whasat for? Mal asked.  
“The boys went for a date, so I figured we’d have one at home” Evie told her while dropping the bag on Jay’s bed. “I even attempted to cook”.  
Mal laughed and hugged her girlfriend “you have got to be the sappiest person on earth”.

After dinner Evie put on a movie, Mal gasped when she saw the title. “This doesn’t hit theaters for another week!”.  
“Everything is on the internet somewhere, Jay made Carlos get it for us,” Evie told her with a grin.  
The movie started with a body exploding and guts splashing across the screen, Evie decided she was going to spend the next hour and a half studying Mal and the floor. Twenty minutes into the movie Mal noticed Evie was looking anywhere but the screen, she hit the pause button, mildly shocked when it actually worked for her. “What’s up, not a fan of guts?” Mal asked.  
“Not one bit; but I knew you’d enjoy it, I”m fine, studying all the things I need to clean tomorrow,” Evie told her.  
Mal stared at her, no one had ever willing done something they hated for her before. In a second she shifted and caught the blue haired girl’s lips in a kiss. She let her forehead rest on Evie’s and told her, “You know both people should enjoy a date, right?”.  
“I am; you watch people get disemboweled like most people would watch a pile of kittens”  
Mal chuckled and kissed Evie again, “how long until the boys come home?”  
“Jay promised me until ten,” Evie said.  
Mal glanced at the clock, almost three hours left. Mal kissed along Evie's neck before whispering in her ear, “why don’t we find something we both enjoy doing”.  
“I don’t think sleeping is a very romantic date” Evie protested.  
“Oh love, you know I don’t do romantic. But we have the house to ourselves, might be kinda fun to break in my bed instead of the car” Mal practically purred, enjoying watching Evie blush before standing and reaching for Evie's hand, the blue haired girl followed, sure it wasn’t a romantic date night, but Mal’s idea was so much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone feeling warm and fuzzy?  
> Let me know how I did, fluffy happy mushy isn't really my niche.


	8. Sanity is over rated

“You wanna drive home?” Jay said holding the keys out to Carlos through the driver-side window. Carlos grabbed them without a word and slid behind the wheel. Jay walked around the front of the truck and slid in next to his boyfriend. Carlos smiled and stepped on the gas, he loved to drive. Jay watched him, amused that he was so happy over something as trivial as driving.  
“You like driving hmm?”  
“Kinda, I like it best late like this when there aren’t a lot of cars”  
“Everything is better without a crowd.”  
Carlos laughed, that sounded like something he’d say. As soon as he knew where he was he started to take the back way home.  
“Why not take the one oh one?”  
“I don’t really like the highway, besides, this gives us extra time alone” Carlos said lacing his fingers with Jay’s and driving with one hand.

Pulling into their parking space Carlos cut the engine and got out being careful to lock the doors. Jay was already stomping up the stairs as Carlos shut the garage and locked the door behind him. With no warning he knocked on the door as hard as he could before yelling “we’re home and I don’t wanna see any fucking vagina!”  
Carlos tripped up the steps when Mal yelled back “stay away from any mirrors!” right before Evie yelled “wait a second!  
“We gave you an extra two hours, what the fuck!” Carlos yelled. Evie opened the door with a blush while Mal leaned on her headboard smirking. “I wanna be mean, but I’m rather surprised you lasted this long” Carlos said to his blushing friend.   
“Who says we waited this long, my car has a huge backseat” Mal offered with a grin.  
Three groans met her statement. The four of them crawled into bed, none of them remembered to shut of their alarm, so it was at six am they got awoken by the incessant beeping.  
“School can suck my cock” Carlos muttered pulling his pillow over his head trying to hide from the noise.  
Evie hit the alarm without a word. Carlos and Evie fell back to sleep with ease, Mal and Jay however were wide awake. The third time their eyes met Mal nodded at the kitchen, Jay nodded and they got up. Mal took the bathroom while Jay made coffee. As soon as she came out Jay shoved past her.  
“We really need another bathroom” he whined while getting his coffee from the hardly brewed pot.  
“How’d your date go?” Mal asked, ignoring him, they had trouble with the bathroom for years.  
“We had fun” Jay said.  
“Didja fuck him?” Mal asked looking innocently over the rim of her cup while Jay choked on his coffee.  
“What the fuck” Jay asked through his coughs.  
Mal shrugged one shoulder, “Just curious”.  
“No we didn’t, no need to ask about you.”  
“Like rabbits” Mal said with a grin that made Jay groan, she may be his best friend but she was way too open about her sex life.

Mal worked on the dishes from last night, figuring since Evie had cooked she could be nice enough to clean up. Jay finished his coffee and crawled back into bed with Carlos, the smaller boy curled against him and let out a soft contented sigh when Jay started running her hands through his hair.   
“I swear to god someday that kid is going to start purring” Mal muttered while digging in her dresser for an outfit.  
“He already does” Evie said “well as close as a human can”.  
“Well look who decided to wake up” Mal said with a laugh.  
“Anything to embarrass ‘Los. I’ll have to make him do it later”  
“Tell me how, I’ll do it now” Jay said.

“He might kill me” Evie said, before sliding out of the bed and walking over to Carlos and Jay. She sat on the edge of the bed, surprised when Carlos didn’t instantly wake up. She reached out and rubbed gently between his  shoulders. After a minute he let out a soft noise that sounded like a cross between a moan and a growl. Mal slammed her hands over her mouth to try and hide her laughter, Jay bit his lip and tried to see exactly what Evie was doing. As soon as she noticed how close Jay was watching she stopped.  
“Thanks, been hurting” Carlos muttered softly.  
“You should tell me that, I still have a few painkillers” Evie told him.  
“S’not that bad”  
“Still, we don't’ know anything if you don’t tells us” Evie said while standing to go into the bathroom.  
“So what’d you do to your back?” Mal asked seeing Jay wouldn’t.  
“Nothing much, just some nerve damage from a crappy life”  
“If you need painkillers ask, I still have a couple shady connections.” Jay said.  
“Got a pain killer?” Carlos asked softly, hoping Evie wouldn’t hear him, she drove him up a wall when he admitted he was hurting.  
“Shady connection?” Jay asked Mal with a raised eyebrow. She smirked and opened her dresser, she tossed a bottle to Jay.  
“Little white oblongs, got a 310 on them” Mal said while Jay dumped a rainbow of pills into his hand.  
“I go pee and you guys turn into drug dealers?” Evie said crossing her arms.  
“Nah, I keep a few useful pills on hand, if ‘Los is hurting I’m gonna help him” Mal said.  
“What are they?”  
“Vicodins” Carlos said biting the pill in half and swallowing it dry before Evie could protest anything else.  
Evie just shook her head and went for her coffee, “next time just tell me you’re hurting”  
“Not a chance” Carlos said, “you’ll make me rest all friggin day”  
“Mal will rat him out” Jay said without a second thought.  
“I will not-” she paused when two death glares were leveled at her from Jay and Evie, “Okay, I’ll tell you!” she relented.

“So what are we doing with our day off” Carlos asked the room at large.  
“No day off here, I got cars to work on”  
“I gotta visit my mom, she still helps oversee most of my accounts, and one of them has way more money than it should.”  
“How much more?” Jay asked.  
“You know that garage for sale in town?” Mal asked, when Jay nodded she continued, “I could buy it four times over right now”.  
“Jesus fucking christ, yeah your mom wouldn’t gift us that much.” Jay said, still in shock at the numbers, he didn’t work outside the low thousands and Mal was talking millions.  
“I’m gonna work on some designs.” Evie said.  
“Guess I’ll just annoy everyone as appropriate.” Carlos decided, he grabbed some clothes from the drawer he’d made into his own.

“I was wondering when you’d dress up again” Evie said while Carlos made his coffee.  
“Jesus, did you get whiplash?” Mal asked as Jay’s head snapped to the kitchen.  
“A little, worth it though” Jay said as he looked at Carlos. He’d decided to wear a short black skirt with a red halter top that showed off his pale stomach, the back of it was nothing more than strings across his back.  
“Oh I have the perfect boots to go with that!” Evie told him before diving to her suitcase. She handed him a pair of mid-calf vinyl high heeled boots a moment later.  
“Thanks, those will look way better than my sneaks” Carlos told her while dropping them on the couch.  
“Those are like twice the height he had at the party” Mal observed.  
“Yeah, I half kill myself on them, he can run downstairs without batting an eye” Evie complained, but smiled at her friend. Carlos downed his coffee before pulling on the boots. When Jay went to get another cup of coffee Carlos leaned over the couch to hug Evie. She laid her head back on his shoulder and whispered to him “you’re gonna kill Jay”.  
“Trying” he said with a grin. Jay made a quick retreat to the garage, deciding against more coffee.  
Mal started laughing as he left, “I love it, you’re gonna be the death of him. Your ass looks amazing in that skirt”  
“I know, I have a feeling that's why I was handed the heels, makes my teasing easier”  
“Wait, you’re tormenting him on purpose?” Mal looked at Carlos like he was insane.  
“Not exactly on purpose, I’m always a tease, he’s just a really easy target”  
“Add some make up; just don’t be surprised if you end up stuck between him and the hood of whatever car he’s working on” Mal said laughing.  
“Make up is in the front pouch if you want it” Evie told him.  
“Nah, I’m good. Mal when you go see your mom want me to come along in case it’s something technical?”  
“Mhmm if you want, she’ll like the skirt” Mal said grinning at her friend, luckily her mother was about as open minded as you could be.  
“Okay, I’ll go bug Jay until you’re ready.”  
“More coffee, a bit of blueberry then I’ll go” Mal said with a smirk.  
“You enjoy that” Carlos said walking to the stairs, Mal listened to him go down them and cursed under her breath.  
“I told you it’s like he’s barefoot in those things”  
“Unnatural” Mal said getting her coffee refill.

“God damn it Diablo! I know you can see my fucking car, open the mother fucking gate!” Mal growled into the intercom. As they pulled up in front of the house Carlos jumped out of the car, Mal decided to be nice and not comment, her newest friend seemed to really hate cars.  
“Ah, Miss Mallory, a pleasure to see you today.”  
“Diablo, I see the assassins have failed again”  
“Yes, you’ve missed me with every bullet so far” the butler fired back without blinking.  
“Where’s her highness?” Mal asked.  
“Madame is in her office” Diablo said looking almost smug about that.  
“Thanks bird brain” Mal said walking off with a smile.  
“Anytime my-damn” Diablo told her.  
“Why are you such an ass to him?” Carlos wondered aloud.  
“He’s kinda like a big brother to me, my mom hired him shortly after I was born, he’s one of the only staff members that gives back as good as he gets, most are afraid to piss me or my mom off, which usually pisses us both off.” Mal said.  
“Okay then; and I thought my house was dysfunctional.”  
“We put the fun in dysfunctional” Mal interrupted him.  
“As I was saying, why’d he look smug at your mom being in her office?”  
“She's usually bitchy if she’s in there, most of her work is done poolside, or lounging on the couch.”

“I told you imbeciles to keep the jobs local! I don’t give one single fuck about costs, the whole point of this project is to create jobs for our community!” Maleficent's voice drifted down the hallway to them followed by the sound of a phone slamming.  
“Sounds professional”  
“Manners are for poor people; my mother's favorite motto” Mal said smirking. “Hi mommy!” Mal chirped walking into the office.  
“Mal, what can I help you and you’re stunningly dressed friend with, seriously child where do you get your outfits?” Maleficent asked.  
“Me and Evie make them” Carlos told her.  
“Fascinating, at least someone knows the value of not outsourcing everything; now you Violet.” Maleficent said with a grin at her daughter.

“The account for the business had a huge deposit put in, I wanted to make sure you got it back to the right accounts, Carlos tagged along in case it was a technical issue.”  
“No mistake Mal, that is half of what Carlos here recovered from that vile witch that was stealing from me. I figure the business can always use a boost, or couple of teens could use a vacation, or some alcohol, I don’t know it’s been a long time since I was young”  
“You’ve got to be shitting me” Carlos said without thinking, “it was only change on each transaction”  
“Yes, every transaction, of each business, and it went back nearly three years. Even if it was only a penny it would have been astronomical, but you said it was a half a percent, so a million dollar transaction had amounts exceeding five grand, things like the airline company trade that off in an hour.”  
“As long as you’re sure mom”  
“I’m sure Mal, it’s been quite a while since I spoiled my rotten little girl.” Maleficent said, sweeping over to hug her daughter.

“We’re having a movie marathon tomorrow!” Mal told Jay and Evie as they walked into the garage, Evei was sitting on the floor sketching while Jay replaced the exhaust in a truck.  
“Okay” Evie said.  
“What’d your mom say?”  
“The money is a gift, half of what ‘Los recovered from that offshore account. I’m gonna rent out one of the theaters at the cinema for us”  
“Oh make it that high end one with the bed like chairs!” Evie practically begged.  
“You mean there are other options?” Mal asked.  
“See now I hear the rich bitch” Carlos joked.  
“Mhmm, she does exist, under Ramen noodles and thrift store clothes” Mal said, while heading for the stairs, she had a few phone calls to make.

The next night they pulled up to the theater in Mal’s car, they stopped off at the concession stand, each got a popcorn, huge soda and an assortment of candy. They walked into theater eight, “the seats are made for two, but four of us will fit easy” she said.  
“As long as you’re staying dressed, we’ll share” Jay said. Mal marched off to a middle chair, Evie followed her, Jay shoved Carlos in front of him before following him. The four of them climbed onto the futon looking seat, Mall pulled a blanket out of nowhere and threw one end to Jay.  
“What are we watching?” Jay asked.  
“Scary then snuggly” Mal said, but refused to give any more hints.

The movie came on showing a dark shape, Carlos watched until a woman unmasked the shape to show a small child still holding a bloody knife. Evie and Carlos hid against each other while Mal and Jay laughed and yelled at the screen. Halfway through the movie Jay shifted and wrapped his arms around Carlos, the freckled boy still holding Evie. He reached across them to slap Mal’s arm before asking, “you guys want us to shut this one off?”  
“No, I can listen, just don’t wanna make the nightmares worse” Carlos said.  
“You guys are enjoying it”Evie said. Mall saw the three of them curled together and shifted to hold Evie, the blue haired girl still didn’t let go of Carlos.  
“Besides we’ve gotten through plenty of scary movies like this; including a SAW movie marathon” Evie added, still not moving.  
“Let me know if you change you mind” Mal said as two men discovered a half eaten dog on screen.  
“We won’t” Carlos and Evie said together.

The movie came to an end and the credits started to roll.  
“I better see a fucking Disney logo after that” Carlos muttered under his breath. He liked horror movies, but only the third or fourth time he watched them and not in a dark theater.  
“You’re in luck” Mal said with a smile.

As the movie started it showed the typical Disney opening, Carlos and Evie let go of each other, before snuggling against Mal and Jay. Jay tried not to laugh at Mal, Carlos and Evie singing along to the movie he'd expected, but Mal singing about gray stuff sent him over the edge into laughter.  
“Careful Jayden, or Lion King will be next”  
“Hakuna matata” he grinned at her while Carlos reached over to grab more of his Reeses pieces, “I’m guessing those are your favorite” Jay said, watching Carlos eat another handful of the candy.  
“Top ten, never had them before today”  
“I hate your mother” Mal said from his other side, as if commenting on the weather.  
“Join the club, we're getting engraved baseball bats” Evie said with a smile.

Saturday morning Carlos and Jay took the truck to his house, the plan was to take his stuff, leave his mother a note and vanish. As usual the world had other ideas. They had the truck almost completely loaded when she pulled into the driveway. Carlos dropped the box he was carrying into the truck and darted back into the house to tell Jay his mother was home early.  
“Don’t worry. Maybe she’ll be good, if not we’ll just leave” Jay said wrapping his arm around the other boy trying to ignore the slight shake he could feel.

“Hi Momma, this is my boyfriend Jay” Carlos said, “I’m just getting my stuff, he asked me to live with him so I won’t be a burden on you anymore” he didn’t think, just let his mouth run, luckily it seemed to work.  
“Whatever you say”  she told her son waving her hand dismissively while walking up to her room to unpack her bags.  
“Yeah, because I couldn’t be a total psychopath holding you against your will” Jay muttered softly once Cruella was out of earshot.  
“If she’s the standard, no you couldn’t be” Carlos told him with a smile. He ran the stairs to grab the last of his things, he left his nightstand untouched, he didn’t want to deal with any of the memories in there. He was ninety nine percent sure his mother would leave his room alone, and he was willing to risk that one percent to get the hell out of there before she decided to start yelling. He was almost to the door when he heard her stomping down the stairs, he darted out the front door, Jay was leaning against the truck waiting for him.  
“Just get in, I’m done” Carlos told him right as his mother flung the door open to start hurling insults at him. He went deaf to it all, having heard the same things a million times before. Jay however heard every syllable, coupled with what he already knew of the woman, it took all of his willpower to shift into reverse and leave. He really wanted to hit drive and remodel the front entrance, and her face, with his truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a little late! This chapter ended up sounding like a cliff hanger; it's not supposed to be though. Jay doesn't bother to hit the bitch... but if you'd like to pretend until I post the next chapter I won't tell anyone.


	9. New home, New Life

The next month passed in a blur, Evie and Carlos officially started summer vacation, Evie had unofficially moved in with them. Everything was going perfectly. They would spend their days lounging in a corner of the garage, Jay would work on which ever car needed fixed that day. Mal would talk to customers and locals as they stopped in to say hi, occasionally handling the accounting part of their business. Evie worked in her sketch books designing new lines of clothes and updating the blog her and Carlos ran. Carlos split his time between hacking into Maleficence's accounts, helping Jay, modeling for Evie and annoying Mal. 

Their neighbors enjoyed stopping to talk with the four youths, their favorite was an elderly man named Carl. When Jay and Mal had first moved in he’d been a grouchy pain in their ass, then he’d learned Mal had an interest in aviation and traveling. He spent hours showing her photographs of him and his wife, Mal told him stories about the places she’d been while traveling with her mom. Carlos and Evie often talked to him about day to day things, making sure he didn’t need any help around the house. He always laughed them off and told them about a boy named Russell and his dog that stopped by to help him, whether he needed it or not. Carlos often cooked extra food and they’d take turns bringing it over to him, in return he’d bring them baked goods he’d make from his wife’s recipes. Any of the four would tell you their life was going perfectly.

Mal and Jay had decided to invest their money in growing their business, there was a small garage in a slightly better part of town. Maleficent had been more than happy to oversee the transaction for the teens, ensuring they not only got the best deal, but that the building was all it was advertised to be. Evie and Carlos were busy packing everything into boxes, Jay and Mal would load them into the truck then the four of them crammed into the truck, unloaded the boxes and repeated the process. 

Tempers were wearing thin, and Mal had gone from unpleasant to down right unbearable.  
“Come on Evie, we want to move this year” Mal said while Evie carefully packed their coffee mugs and other kitchen breakables.  
“If you continue to bitch at me I will lob your coffee mug at your head” Evie said with a frown. Mal was usually a bitch but today she'd taken it to new levels. Carlos was silently packing their clothes, he'd spent the day trying to make Mal ignore him. Jay was downstairs packing his tools having already gotten into one fight with Mal.  
“Whatever” Mal muttered before turning to Carlos, Evie noticed how he tensed as if he expected Mal to actually hit him.  
“Leave him alone you crabby bitch” Evie growled, her own temper making it's appearance to defend Carlos.  
“I'm not going to do shit to the worthless runt. I'm just wondering why the hell he can hack a computer in minutes but it takes him years to pack some fucking clothes” Mal said flippantly.  
Evie tried not to growl, Carlos silently finished folding the items in his hands, one of Evies' dresses, and slipped out the door.  
“What the fuck, nothing will get done if you don't do it!” Mal yelled after him.

“I know you're busy being a self centered spoiled bitch who has never really worked a day in her god damn life, but would you kindly snap the fuck out of it” Evie said. Mal's head whipped to look at her, “what the fuck is wrong with you people today?” she snarled  
“You” Evie said, her voice just above a growl, “You're being a major asshole to everyone”  
“No one is putting in any damn effort, I want out of this ghetto hell hole!”  
Evie stared at her for a moment before the realization struck her, “You've never lived anywhere but a mansion, you really hate it here don't you?”  
Mal's face fell, the anger seeming to fade away, “we wait in line for the bathroom, how the hell could anyone like it.”  
“We live with each other and our best friends, most people our age would kill for that. No one else at our school is on their own. It doesn't matter that it's not the best, we're all together and we're going to something better, if you'd quit melting down long enough for us to move our crap.”  
“Fine, I'll take over the clothes” Mal said standing to continue where Carlos left off. “Why'd he leave anyway, my mouth never bothers him.”  
“You sounded like his mother,” was all Evie offered in response. Mal's hands faltered folding one of Evie's shirts, she wasn't that bad was she?

When Carlos got down to the garage Jay had the truck almost loaded with all his tool boxes. “Come on, we'll go drop these off, you can talk on the way over” he said grabbing his keys without another word. Carlos slid into the truck and over to lean on Jay like always. Finally as they turned onto the road that held their new garage Carlos spoke, “she called me a worthless runt”.  
“Why'd that bother you, she calls you names all the time”  
“Sounded like my mother” Carlos muttered into his side.  
“Cunt. Why don't you stay here, I'll make her stay there until this is over. You can work on unpacking the boxes here.” Jay offered, Carlos nodded and muttered a soft thanks before starting to unload one of the tool boxes.

“Mal, words, now.” Jay said the minute he got back to their old garage.  
“I already know, I'm a flaming bitch. Trust me, Evie has been on me for the last thirty minutes” Mal said trying not to snap.  
“That's putting it mildly.” Jay said  
“Oh I didn't put it so mildly” Evie said with a grin.  
“Still I get it, I just can't help it. Where's 'Los anyway?” Mal asked  
“He's staying at the new garage, you're gonna work from here until we're done. You're a cunt and he's too skiddish for your crap” Jay told her.  
“Alright” she agreed silently moving to pack their bathroom into boxes. Jay stared after her wondering where Mal was and who this zombie that had been left in her place was. Without a word he grabbed one of the clothes boxes and started down the stairs.  
“She's trying to grow up, sometimes being spoiled is almost as bad as abused” Evie said softly as Jay walked past her. He paused mid-step to look at her before a grin quirked the corner of his lips up, “Trust me I know, I got yelled at once for not having proper toilet paper, one ply was too poor for her pampered ass”. Evie laughed as Jay continued to the truck.

Shortly before bed they finally loaded the last boxes into the truck, Jay took one last look around their empty apartment before slamming the door shut and latching it. Mal and Evie were already sitting in Mal's car. Jay watched her pull out, waving to Carl next door as she left. He pulled the garage door shut and hopped into his truck, he'd just put the key in the ignition when he noticed Carl walking towards the truck. He hopped back out and met him half way.  
“I can't believe you kids are leaving, best neighbors I've ever had. A little gift for your new place” he said while holding out a bright red ceramic bird with a purple tail.  
“I can't take that” Jay said, he knew how much the bird meant to Carl.  
“Of course you can, Ellie would love it going to a new home. It was the first thing she got for our home and now it can be the first new thing for your home. Besides, I've knocked it over twice in the last week. I'd rather see it in your home than in pieces in mine.”  
Jay carefully took the bird from him before pulling him into a hug.  
“I hope you visit us often, Russell and Dug too, I promise Birdie will sit on our mantle just like he did yours”  
Carl hugged him back with a smile, “that's why I gave it to you not Mal, I know you'll make sure it gets a good home, just like you did with that De Vil kid”  
Jay blushed before letting go of the elderly gentleman, “I'll do my best”.  
“You do that” Carl said with a smile before beginning the journey back into his own home. He paused briefly to rest his hand against his mailbox, a habit he'd had most of his life.

Jay navigated onto the one oh one, quickly driving towards their new home, he hoped Mal and Carlos had both settled down from their earlier issue. Pulling to the parking lot next to Mal's car he decided the smile on his face may be permanent. Inside Mal and Carlos were silently working together unpacking the kitchen stuff, while Evie hung their clothes. Jay silently sat the bird from Carl on the mantle. “Carlos gave us a parting gift” he said, bringing attention to the new addition.  
“But that was Ellies” Mal said frowning, Carl loved that bird.  
“I said the same thing, he insisted we'd give it a good home, so here it is” Jay said with a shrug.  
“You people are too sentimental” Mal groused while putting away their silverware.  
“Says the girl putting away silverware that's four generations deep and probably worth more than all our other possessions combined” Jay smirked, his answer was a middle finger.

It didn't take long for word to spread that Jay's garage had moved, their old customers gladly traveling to their new location and many new customers finding them since there was a much lower chance of getting shot in their new location. Jay spent most of his time under cars, Carlos had joined him learning how to do oil changes and other basic maintenance so Jay could focus on the big problems. Evie had set up a corner of the garage as hers with her sewing machine and fabric. Off to the side of her corner was a long bench covered in colored smears. One half was make up where Evie was mixing her new colors, the other half Mal had covered in her own paints. She had taken on the garage as her own personal canvas. Every wall was slowly becoming a mural of her artwork, everyone's favorite was a huge scene of a winter landscape. The longer you looked at it the more animals you would find carefully painted into the snow drifts.

All four of them decided that things were as close to perfect as four teenagers could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are we all ready? Next chapter the shit hits the fan. I will try to post it on April 5th; but I make no promises, life has made this whole writing thing hard.


	10. Love? Nope not me

“Dude slow the fuck down!” Carlos yelled over the howl of the wind and the music.  
“I got this!” Jay yelled back weaving between two tractor trailers on the highway.  
Carlos held the door handle and stared at the dashboard, he'd tried closing his eyes but that was much worse than swerving in and out of traffic at high speeds.  
“Why the fuck don't you listen!”  
“It's too fun not to!” Jay said veering off onto their exit. A couple minutes later they pulled into the garage. Carlos got out of the car and stormed up the stairs, he locked himself in the bathroom.  
“What's up with him” Mal asked as soon as Jay walked in the door.  
“He's all testy because I was driving fast on the highway.”  
“Did he ask you to slow down?”  
“Yeah” Jay said  
“And you?” Mal prompted  
“Told him I got it and went faster. It's fucking stupid, I'm a damn good driver, even pushing a hundred.” Jay said. Mal gave him a look that clearly said 'you did not'. At the same time Carlos popped the bathroom door open, Mal noticed his eyes looked red, but Jay missed it.

“You were pushing one twenty and swerving around fucking eighteen wheelers!” Carlos yelled.  
“It was fine! What the hell is wrong with you anyway? You don't like it when I speed, but you're not usually such a fucking princess over it!” Jay yelled back. 

“Do you want to know why, aside from I fucking asked you to slow down and you wouldn't? I was in a really bad accident as a kid. Two weeks after my cousin got his license he came and took me and his baby sister to the beach. He was seventeen, I was ten and she was only three.” Carlos paused, his breathing ragged, he didn't want to talk about this. His voice rose steadily as he continued to talk. “Just fucking like you, he was a good driver, he was sure he was fine, until he wasn't. We were on the highway and he was going fast, just like you fucking did, weaving in and out of trucks” Carlos's voice cracked as the tears started to fall. Mal sat frozen on the couch, she knew whatever was coming was not going to be pretty.

Carlos continued, ignoring his tears, not even trying to keep his voice steady. “Just like you did he went between two trucks, but the one in front moved over, we were in his blind spot, by the time he noticed us it was too late. We crashed, smashed between a fucking semi and an overpass.” Carlos paused, he was crying too hard to get the words out. Jay looked torn between wanting to stay angry and apologizing, Mal wanted to smack some sense into him.

“I was the only one alive, the impact with the overpass killed Diego instantly, I remember Ivy crying, but by the time anyone got there she had stopped they considered her dead on impact, but I knew better. I wasn't able to help her because my legs were pinned by the dashboard.” Carlos told them leaning on the door frame. He hoped Jay would understand, but one look at the other boys face told him, that no, he didn't understand.  
“That was years ago, and I wasn't near an overpass, if a truck moved I had room to swerve I'm not stupid!” Jay screamed, Mal watched Carlos's face morph, Evie had told her he had a wicked temper but she'd never seen it, something told her she was about to. He stopped crying, it was almost scary one moment he was shattered the next was pure anger.

“Diego was not stupid, you're fucking stupid. Someone you supposedly care about asks you to stop fucking speeding you should do it because you care about them, they shouldn't need to explain every little fucking reason.”  
“You could have just shut your damn eyes” Jay said.  
“You fucking idiot” Mal muttered at Jay.  
“Oh sure!” Carlos said his voice cracking with anger, “Just close my fucking eyes so I can see my cousins mangled fucking body, while riding in a speeding car, fan-fucking-tastic idea!”

“You sound like your mother, the way you're ranting” Jay told him.  
Mal took her cell out and started to text Evie, when Carlos ended the fight.  
“Fuck you, I'm done, you want to kill yourself go ahead. Let me know when you grow a god damn brain.” he grabbed his computer bag from next to the bed and walked out.

“You are a grade A asshole” Mal said the second the door closed, she typed away on the cell to tell Evie the boys had a fight and that Carlos had left.  
“He's being fucking ridiculous” Jay attempted to defend himself, “no one else cares if I drive too fast”. Jay went down stairs to the garage, Mal followed him and sat on the workbench.  
“Just leave me alone!” Jay snarled at her.

“Nope” Mal said, “I'm gonna be clear up your ass until you realize exactly how badly you fucked up”.  
“I didn't fuck up, he's over reacting” Jay growled out.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Usually I'm the asshole of the group.”  
“All I did was drive! I always drive fast and I've never crashed!” Jay said his voice raising.  
“Dude” Mal said shaking her head, “He was in a bad crash and sat next to his cousins dead bodies waiting for someone to free him from the mangled wreckage. I don't give a fuck if you didn't know that at the time, you know it now and you're still being an asshole!” Mal told him, her voice just above a growl.  
Silence answered her.  
“You're not even listening to me are you?” Mal said shaking her head, Carlos and Evie were the best things to ever happen to them and Jay was about to fuck that up for himself.  
“I was listening, you said a bunch of words” Jay said from under the hood of his pickup truck.  
Mal was saved from answering by the sound of her cell phone ringing upstairs on her bed. She went to get it, as she walked past the truck she pulled the safety rod so the hood shut on Jay's head. She ignored his cursing and grabbed her phone.

“Hey love”  
“I guess Jay was driving fast weaving around semis. 'Los asked him to slow down, and asshole didn't, they continued fighting here and 'los told us about his cousins crash. Jay is still being a cock so Carlos took his laptop and left.”  
“Okay, let me know when you find him, he seemed pretty upset and he has his skateboard too”  
“Oh don't worry, I closed a truck hood on him on the way up here, he's in for hell from me.”  
“Okay, good luck, love you” Mal said hanging up.

Evie wanted to kill Jay, actually she wanted to tie him to two trucks going in opposite directions until he was ripped in half, but that was a minor detail at this point. She started walking towards Cruella's house, Carlos only had one option of where to go and if he had his laptop he didn't plan on going back to Jay and Mal's anytime soon.

Carlos vaguely watched the trees fly past him in a blur. It was the first time he'd gone to Cruella's from the new garage by anything other than car but he really didn't want to be in a car at the moment. He leaned hard to turn into the driveway before kicking the board up into his hand. He silently hoped his mother was in one of her good moods, the universe surely owned him that much at this point, he knocked on the door and waited, anger still coursing through him. The door opened to show his mother, he swallowed and met her eyes, she didn't immediately backhand him so he had a chance of her being kind.  
“I had a fight with Jay can I stay here for a while?” he asked softly. A second later he flinched, but all his mother did was hug him, “of course you can!” she said before letting him go.  
“Thanks Momma, I'll stay out of the way, promise” he said before walking up to his room. He laid on his bed, he didn't cry he just felt empty. A few minutes later he jumped at a tapping sound. He looked to his window to see Evie perched on the ledge. He got up and threw the window opened to let her in.

“Mal's got a big mouth I see.” He said. Evie flinched without meaning to, it had been a long time since she heard Carlos sound so emotionless. She ignored him and sat on his bed, leaning back against the headboard. He closed the window and sat next to her.  
“I wanna hear the story from you” she said softly.  
“I had a fight with Jay about his driving, he told me I sounded like my mother, I left” Carlos said, Evie pulled him into a hug.  
“Mal said you told them about the crash.”  
“I did, he didn't seem to give a shit” Carlos told her, he could feel the tears prickling at his eyes but he refused to let them fall.  
Evie stayed silent, her hand was rubbing along Carlos's spine. It took a while, but finally he gave a choked sob. She sat with him while he cried, her own chest tightening when the broken boy muttered “I was sure he was different, fucking wrong again”.  
“Hey, you weren't wrong, he is different. But you're both pretty fucked up from your lack of childhood. Give it a few days then try to talk it out, me or Mal can mediate if you want, lord knows you guys get between us all the time”  
Carlos gave a choked laugh, that was true, Mal and Evie fought like an old married couple, never major, just little arguments about stupid things like what was on tv.  
“Thanks E”  
“It's what I'm here for, keep all the tiny Carlos shaped pieces in a pile until someone glues them back together” she smiled at him.  
“I think for now the pieces are going to take a nap”  
Evie smiled at him, “You could just tell me you want to cry in peace”  
“Okay, please get the fuck out with your optimism” Carlos told her, a small smile on his lips.  
“Works for me, I have a Jayden to kill” Evie said getting off the bed and walking to the window, she slipped out onto the roof before jumping to a nearby tree and shimmying down. Carlos waved to her as she slipped out of sight.

“Carlos, come down I made dinner”  
Carlos groaned into his pillow, sure she made dinner, for her. He rolled off the bed and wiped his face with his hand. He yanked his door open and went down stairs to their kitchen, his mom was sitting at the table. Carlos felt his eyebrows raise, there were actually two plates of food.  
“Y-you want me to eat with you?”  
“Of course, the best cure for heartbreak is a home cooked meal” Cruella told him.  
Carlos swallowed and sat, “Thanks Momma” he said before eating.

“So what are you and Jay fighting over?” Cruella asked  
“His driving” Carlos said not elaborating, he knew his mother would understand everything he didn’t say.  
“Does he know about the crash?”  
“He does now, I told him in the middle of the fight but he basically didn’t give a fuck, he was more concerned with winning a petty argument about his driving, so I left”  
“Give it some time, from the way the town talks you two are practically inseparable. Jasper said you’re always in the garage with him.”  
“Yeah, he’s taught me a little about cars so I help once in awhile, but usually I work on the computer and we chat while he works” Carlos said, his mother seemed pretty stable at the moment, so he may as well enjoy having a mom instead of a psychopath.

Evie walked up the stairs and shoved the door open so hard it bounced back off the wall.  
“I hope you have a fucking amazing excuse Jayden!”  
Mal laughed when Jay shrunk back from the blue haired girl, she may not be very big but she was extremely intimidating.  
“It’s just a little fight, he’ll get over it” Jay said.  
Evie growled, “Mal, please tell me he isn’t this fucking stupid!”  
“Yeah he is, every so often his brain leaves and his ego takes over” Mal said, “how bad is it?”  
“I’d like him to be six feet under” Evie said with a glare at Jay.  
“That bad?”  
“He was crying most of the time I was there, and he had out an old picture of him and his cousins, I’d say he’s pretty hurt.”  
“He’ll get over it” Jay said.  
Mal hardly saw Evie move when she heard the sound of a slap, she couldn’t help but laugh. Evie had walked over, slapped Jay across the face then sat back down as if she’d done nothing.  
“Cute and violent, I like it!” Mal smirked while Jay cursed under his breath.  
“Speak up Jayden, I’d like to make sure I call you something more insulting that whatever you've thought up”  
“Nothing, just fucking nothing. Clearly everyone thinks I’m wrong”  
“When you calm the hell down you’ll see it too”  
”Whatever” Jay said getting up to get his bottle of rum.  
“Good idea, knock yourself out, maybe the bug up your ass will die”  
“Fuck you” he said walking out the door to the garage. He sat on the workbench and proceeded to forget his own name.

“What the hell is wrong with him? Evie asked  
“I have a few guesses, but they all seem far fetched, I mean he loves Carlos to pieces it doesn't make sense for him to act…” Mal stopped talking realization hitting her in the head, almost literally. “That fucking coward!”  
“Uhm, I didn’t get the same epiphany as you!” Evie said.  
“Have you ever heard one of them say they love each other, or call the other love, or mention love at all?”  
“No, ‘Los never says it in front of Jay, he’s told me he loves him though.”  
“Same with Jay; excuse me I have a coward to yell at.” Mal said standing up. 

Mal marched down stairs to see Jay sitting on the bench crying into his bottle of rum, she yanked the bottle out of his hands and threw it so it broke, she’d worry about clean up later.  
“You bloody coward!” she accused.  
“What the hell are you talking about now?”  
“You! You’re in love with Carlos and too fucking scared to tell him so you’re acting like an egotistical asshole!”  
Jay started at her, he wasn’t going to tell her she was right, then she’d be the egotistical one.  
“Doesn’t matter, he left”  
“You fucking idiot! He loves you too! You’re both fucked the hell up but one of you needs to grow a set of balls here!” Mal said yelling less than a foot away from Jay.  
“Why the hell would he love me, I’m nothing” Jay said softly.  
“Ask him. Clearly he sees something the rest of us can’t, because you know I don’t love you at all and Evie wouldn’t even think of loving you, nope never.” Mal said rolling her eyes. Jay looked up at her through his eyelashes, she knew there were people that would be afraid of that look, she wasn’t one of them. Unbeknownst to her Evie had come down stairs and was just behind the door, she chose that moment to come out.

“She has a point, Carlos fell for you the first night” Evie said leaning on the door frame.  
“Bullshit” Jay muttered.  
“He got in a car with a stranger driving, Mal burned rubber and all he did was snuggle against your side. I’ve seen him in the car with Chad, he used to hang onto the door for dear life because he’s fucking terrified in cars if he’s not driving. But not with you” Evie said, Jay flinched as he remembered Carlos holding onto the door earlier that afternoon. “For some reason you are the person he’s safe with, I don’t think either of you know a fucking thing about love, but as an outsider I can tell you, you two put fairy tales to shame.”

Jay stared at her, he thought Mal had blunt mastered, Evie was coming in a close second at the moment.  
“No one loves me, my father told me no one ever would, I’m just a fuck up” Jay muttered staring at an oil stain on the floor. Mal moved to hug him before she realized it, “Jayden you fucking idiot. I love you, your father is wrong, people will and do love you.”  
“She’s right” Evie said, Jay wiped at his eyes, he hated crying.  
“How the hell am I supposed to fix this?”  
“Not tonight” Evie told him, “Carlos is gonna be way too pissy to listen to anything tonight, I think for now we should just sleep and in the morning we’ll go kidnap him and try to talk this out”  
“Okay” Jay agreed still staring at the floor. Mal gave his hand a pull and he followed her wordlessly. Upstairs she put on pajamas and a tank top while Evie and Jay got changed as well. As soon as jay had his pants up Mal pulled him into the bed next to her.  
“I can sleep on my own”  
“I know you can” Mal said while Evie slid into the other side of the bed, subtly shoving Mal’s cellphone under the pillow in the middle.  
“Isn’t Evie gonna be shoved out of the bed?”  
“Nope” Evie said from the other side of the bed, “If you’d left ‘Los would be next to me, it’s what friends do when they love each other”  
Jay didn’t answer but rolled so he was facing Mal.  
“Thanks” he whispered hugging her to him.  
“No problem, love you Jay”  
“You too Mal” he said softly.  
Evie laughed, “Close enough”, she faced Mal’s back and wrapped her arm around the purple haired girl, her arm resting just below Jays.  
None of them cared that it was just past eight o’clock at night, they all fell asleep piled in Mal’s bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I had to post early, part two of the shit storm will be up on April 5th. Assuming I don't get killed before then for this chapter ;)


	11. Seriously?!

Carlos silently cleared the dishes from the table. His mother was still being kind, he figured he better do what he could to keep her happy before locking himself back in his room until morning. Hopefully by tomorrow Jay would be out of his snit. He went in to shower, spending much longer than was needed standing in the hot water. By nine he was snuggled into his bed, he shoved the picture of him and his cousins back into his bedside table. He’d refused to bring it with him when he’d moved in with Jay. He wanted to get over the past and spending every night staring at that photo was not helping.

Carlos opened his eyes at the sound of a crash, that was never a good sign, his mother's voice floating through the house told him she was having one of her episodes, again. Carlos rolled over and tried to go back to sleep when he heard his bedroom door slam open.  
“You!” she shrieked.  
“Yah Momma, me. What’s wrong?” he tried to hold his tongue, he really just wanted to go back to sleep. A day of hell really didn’t need to be followed by a night from hell too.  
“It’s all your fault!”  
“What'd I do now Momma” He asked, wishing he could just vanish.  
“You killed Cecil!” Cruella shrieked, Carlos fought back the groan. His uncle had killed himself after both his kids died in the car crash; depending on the day he probably was responsible. Carlos kept his mouth shut, his mother would continue on her own, that much was guaranteed.

“The last people alive in the family besides me and you killed them you worthless piece of shit!”  
“I didn't kill them” Carlos muttered, he'd spent a lot of his life wanting to vanish but tonight he wished it more than ever. After fighting with Jay he really didn't need to have this fight with his mother again. At least once a month she blamed him for the crash the killed his cousins, after uncle Cecil had killed himself then she added him into the guilt trip.  
“You may as well have! You just had to go to the beach with them, if you'd stayed the fuck home they wouldn't have been on that road!” Cruella told him. Carlos felt the tears prickle his eyes, that much was true. The crash happened between their houses, if Carlos hadn't gone along Diego wouldn't have been on that stretch of highway.

“You are nothing but a waste of space, the only thing you ever do is make everyone's lives harder! The entire world would be better if you were dead.” Cruella snarled advancing on her son. Carlos stayed where he was, Cruella was between the bed and the door, so there was no point in moving. Maybe Cruella had a point, no one really cared about him anyway all he did was exist and make people's lives more difficult.  
A sudden pressure on his throat made him snap back to reality, his mother had climbed on his bed and wrapped her hands around his throat.  
“I can kill you now and no one will even care, maybe that will bring Cecil back to me, if I get rid of you!”

Carlos felt the air struggle to move through his throat, maybe she was right. He could just let her kill him and no one would care. Suddenly he thought of Evie and realized, at least she would care. Jay too, so they were fighting right now, the older boy still cared, even Mal would miss him.  Despite his mother's words he did have a reason to live. He slid his knee up between his mother and him, just as his lungs began to scream for oxygen, he pushed as hard as he could causing her to roll over the foot board of the bed onto her ass.

“You ungrateful piece of shit! I'm trying to help you, you think I don't hear you in here crying over your stupid cousins. You miss them so much I'm trying to send you back to them and you're not even grateful.”  
“I miss them, but you're fucking insane!” Carlos yelled. Cruella laughed, a high sound that proved to anyone who could hear it, yes she was insane. Before Carlos realized what she was going to do she'd opened the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out his picture of his cousins.

“Aww look at the little babies” Cruella cooed looking at the picture before holding it with both hands as if she was going to tear it up. Carlos lunged to grab the picture, she tore it right down the center before he got there. He snatched the pieces up and bolted for the door, he could feel the tears in his eyes, that was the only picture he had of the three of them. Walking outside he slipped into the garage, his mother would never look in the car for him. He locked the doors on the old red Rolls Royce, he couldn't stand to stay there anymore.  He sat the pieces of the picture on the seat next to him before he slid under the dashboard and found the right wires, he stripped them with his thumbnail, twisting the right ones together before sparking the third making the engine turn over. 

He'd have to remember to thank Jay for showing him how to do that, when they were done fighting. He wiped his eyes before pulling out of the garage, Cruella standing in the doorway back lit from within the house screaming made it worth it. He stepped on the gas as hard as he could wanting to escape his mother, the past and his own head. Jay, Diego and Ivy floated around his head while tears leaked from his eyes. He took the first exit he got to for the highway, he wanted to go fast and that was the safest place to do it. He glanced at the clock on the dash, 3am. There wouldn't be any real traffic at this hour. As he maneuvered off the entrance ramp on to the three lane highway, he gave a half choked sob, it may have been a laugh if he wasn't trying to escape his own head. 

He reached up to wipe his eyes as the tears started to obscure his vision, he put his arm back out the window, used to driving single handed. The road twisted lazily in front of him, only a few tail lights dotted as far as he could see, one set of headlights in the rear-view mirror. He pushed the pedal flat to the floor, listening to the engine roar over the wind. The road flew past him, he’d driven this stretch of highway more times than he could count. Almost anytime he snuck out he drove along the highway until he felt like going home. He eased off the gas as the back of a tractor trailer come up in front of him faster than he liked. He started to move into the far left lane, pushing the car to go faster to get past the truck. He knew he was an asshole, basically doing the exact same thing he’d yelled at Jay for hours earlier, but he needed to escape.

((A/N: I thought about ending the chapter here but even I am not that cruel))

With a jerk he felt the wheel rip out of his hand, the world slowed down, a glance at the speedometer told him he was pushing nintey. As he’d tried to move over and speed up the truck in front of him had the same idea, moving over at the same time and clipping the front of his car. The car spun twice before the front edge of the car had hit the guardrail, the bumper of the old car hooking over it so he was headed into the wall of the overpass no matter what he did.

He knew this spot, he'd seen it a thousand times in dreams and waking nightmares, it was the same spot his cousin had crashed. It wasn’t possible to slow down in the less than fifty feet of road he had left, despite that he put his full weight on the brake. A loud thump sounded before the brake pedal sunk to the floor. It may have taken a few extra years, but clearly he was going to die in that spot.  He felt the initial jolt of the car hitting the abutment followed by a searing pain in his arm, he vaguely realized it was still out the window before the whole world went black.

Carlos opened his eyes and immediately slammed them shut, it was too bright. Suddenly a shadow fell over him, he cracked one eye open and gasped.  
“Well that seals it, I’m fucking dead.”  
“Nice to see you too, Spot” a voice said.  
“Let me guess I died in such a douchey way I’m stuck with you for eternity”  
“You're not dead, silly” a little girl's voice sounded to the left of him, he opened his eyes and turned his head. Ivy was sitting on the ground next to him, she looked the same as she had the morning of the crash.  
“If I’m not dead why are you and Diego here?”  
“You’re hurt; I mean you were going even faster than I was and I had a car with airbags, you were in a screaming metal death trap.”  
“Okay so I’m basically dead, how long until I die?”  
“I dunno I can’t really do much with the physical world, move a couple pennies around, flip off a light here and there. Think of me as the Genie from Aladdin, infinite powers, itty bitty living space”  
Carlos looked over at his cousin for the first time, like Ivy he was the same as he was the morning of the crash, except, “why are you all so disappeary” he asked, right before everything vanished.

Carlos could feel that he was laying on something moving, voices around him sounded as if he was under water. He tried to open his eyes but they were too heavy, when he tried to talk all that escaped was a moan of pain. A moment later he found himself back in the field with Diego and Ivy.

Mal heard her phone vibrating before she really felt it, she reached for it blindly she muttered out a sleepy “hello”. In an instant she was awake, “we’ll be there as soon as we can” she said flipping the phone shut. She shoved Evie hard, the blue haired girl woke with a jolt, “Carlos was in an accident, we’re going to the hospital now” Evie immediately got up and pulled on her clothes from the day before while Mal shoved Jay.  
“Whaddya want” he muttered  
“Get the fuck outta bed, ‘Los was in an accident, we gotta go to the hospital”  
“Haha, very funny, good night Mal” Jay said pulling the covers back up.  
“Ugh, I am not doing this, we’ll make the phone ring until he fucking answers it, let's go” Mal said getting dressed in seconds and grabbing her keys. Evie was already halfway down the stairs. Both girls got in the car, “Mal how bad is it” Evie asked.  
“They don’t know he was going into surgery, said they’d tell us more there” Mal  turned over the engine and stomped on the gas her engine roaring as she sped down the road.

Jay woke with a start, that sounded an awful lot like Mal’s car, he reached over blindly and felt an empty bed, suddenly he recalled Mal’s words that Carlos was in an accident. He cursed and got up, pulling on his clothes from last night. He barely remembered to lock the door behind him before he got into his truck, he stomped on the gas grateful the roads were fairly empty at this hour. The entire ride his cell phone kept ringing, he ignored it. On the road in front of the hospital he saw Mal’s car turning into the parking garage, he pulled up right behind her and hit the horn, she shoved her finger out the window before looking back and shooting him a thumbs up, she pulled into the first parking spot she saw, luckily there was another spot next to it that Jay took. He was out of the truck before she got the keys from the ignition.

“How the fuck could you not make sure I was up!”  
“You had the truck, E was calling you non stop, we just needed to get here, it’s not good, he was going into surgery, now let's go see what the fuck he’s done!” Mal said grabbing Jay’s hand, she wasn’t sure which of them needed the support more, but she knew the next few hours were not going to be good. She felt Evie grab her other hand and gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

The three of them walked in through the emergency room, a lady at the desk told them to sit in the waiting room and she’d alert the doctor to their presence. Jay sat next to Mal, Evie sat on her lap. The blue haired girl wiped her eyes every couple minutes as tears escaped from her eyes. Carlos had been through a lot of shit but he’d never had to go to the hospital for it before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides*  
> I've written it at least six times and I still hate it, but it's hard to enjoy abusing your favorite character.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I'm now writing this as it posts (which I know for experience is a bad thing). I wrote this about six times and still hated it, so I gave up and decided this is as 'good' as it's going to get. Hopefully I get the next chapter out in a couple weeks. Just assume I'll never update again so you can be pleasantly surprised when I do. (yes I am that bad at updating)  
> _______

It felt like hours later when a young girl dressed in teal scrubs with jet black hair swept up in a messy ponytail came out to see them. In reality it had been less than ten minutes.  
“You’re here for Mr. De Vil?” she asked looking down at her notes.  
“Carlos” Evie said softly, without thinking, she always corrected people who called her friend by his last name, he hated it.  
“Carlos” the girl agreed, “if you’ll follow me we can go somewhere more private”. The teens stood to follow her, she lead them to the elevators and went to the third floor, all three paled as the entered the ward labeled ICU. The nurse walked into an empty room, she stood by the door and gently closed it before gesturing for the teens to sit. They settled on a couch near a large window.

Mal couldn’t keep her mouth shut anymore, “why did I get the call, why not his mother or Jay?”  
“His phone didn’t have any contacts that indicated a surviving parent, you were listed as sis so we called you”  
Mal felt her jaw hang open, she knew he called Evie sis but she didn’t think he considered her to be family, not yet anyway. Mal shook her head both to clear and indicate that was wrong, “I’m not really his sister, me and Evie are his best friends, Jay is his boyfriend”  
“Does he have a surviving guardian?”  
“May as well be Jay” Evie muttered.  
“I’ll just hear emancipated youth until the system tells me otherwise” the girl said causing Jay to raise his eyebrows. 

“Why are you so young?” Evie asked, looking as if she shocked herself asking that question.  
“I was homeschooled, so I finished early, did college and I’m now interning with Doctor Baymax. He seems to like making me deliver bad news, so here I am. Now,  I’m assuming you’d like to know about your friend?”  
“No fucking shit sherlock” Jay muttered, Mal elbow him in the ribs.  
“My name's Vanellope, I'm one of too many nurses here. You’re friend is still alive; but it’s bad. He was in a crash out on the one oh one, a good Samaritan said he was speeding and attempted to pass a truck at the same time that truck moved over to let him by. The result was him crashing into the supports for an overpass. I was told by paramedics they didn’t expect to find anyone alive at the scene.”

The three kids stared at her, trying to process the news, Evie found her voice first.  
“Out by mile marker fifteen?” she asked, silently praying that it was any other overpass on the road.  
“How did you know that?” Vanellope asked, her nose scrunched up in confusion.  
“Second time he should have died there. His cousin totaled out there six years ago” Evie said  
“You have got to be fucking kidding me?” Mal whispered, she couldn’t make the words louder.

“You said bad, how bad is it?” Jay asked, maybe it was the candy barrettes in her hair, there was just something childish and calming about this girl. Jay could see why she got to deliver the bad news.

“I don't wanna be too blunt” Vanellope started to say, only to be cut off by Mal, “They’re friends with me, just be blunt”.  
Vanellope took a deep breath, “His left leg was shattered, we will be able to rebuild it but it may be some time until he’s able to walk and will probably always limp and make metal detectors beep” she said trying to lighten the mood, a soft snort from Mal told her it was working. “He has broken ribs, which punctured his lung, that has already been surgically repaired but he’ll be on a ventilator for a few days until the lung can support itself. Varying blood vessels burst through out his abdomen causing internal bleeding.” She paused to look at the teens in front of her, really they all had to be about the same age. She continued, so far they were taking the news better than she would have, “The last two things are perhaps going to be the hardest. He had his left arm out the window; it was amputated at the elbow. And he is currently in a coma, that could end at any time, but we have no way of telling at the moment.”

Three teens stared at her in shock.  
“I’ll leave you guys alone to process this, he’s still in surgery but I'll come up when he goes to recovery. Heck, you'll probably get sick of seeing me!” She joked, “this will be his room once he progresses that far. That couch turns into a bed since family often hates to leave the ICU patients alone we bend the rules about visitors on this floor.” Vanellope told them before exiting the room. No one spoke, there wasn’t anything they could say, finally Jay spoke.  
“I hope she's here when Carlos comes around, he'll get a kick out of her hair clips.”  
Mal stared at him as if he had three heads, Evie was still lost in her own head.  
“You're fucking insane you know that right?” Mal asked softly.  
Jay just nodded with a small smile, “gotta distract myself somehow, I'm sick of crying” 

Mal stood and pulled Evie's hand making the other girl stand mechanically. “Jay pull out the bed, we’re gonna be here a while.”

As he figured  out how to fold out the couch, she dialed her mother's number.   
“Hi mom. I know dark o clock. But it's important Carlos is in the hospital.”

Maleficent paused she quickly grew to care about Evie and Carlos just as much as she did Jay.  
Mal quickly told her mom about the crash. Maleficent promised she'd be down later and asked her daughter to keep her up to date. Mal promised she would before hanging up. 

They laid on the sofa bed, Mal once again took the middle, this time Evie and Jay laid facing her, both holding on to her. Evie cried softly into her pillow, Jay was silent and dry eyed, but when he spoke his voice shook.  
“Mal, tell me this is just a fucking dream, a really shitty dream”  
“Not a dream. We’ll get through this, together”  
“Together” Jay echoed back weakly, tears finally falling. Mal felt her own eyes starting to leak before Evie added another soft “together” before moving her hand to rest on Jay’s side. Jay reached out to put his hand on her side, their arms forming an X over Mal. Slowly they drifted off to sleep.

 

Carlos looked up at his cousin, “what the fuck was that?”  
“You’re not dead, we covered that. I’m guessing you almost woke up and the doctors knocked you back out; probably need surgery”  
“Oh” was all Carlos could say  
“If you wanna see the crash, it’s on the other side of the hill” Diego told him.  
Carlos looked around and realized he was right; they were on the grass on the opposite side of the overpass from where the universe seemed to want him dead. He stood up, surprised that nothing hurt.  
“If this is death I could get used to it” he muttered softly.  
The three of them walked the short distance to the crash.  
“Wicked!” The small girl cheered, “that’s one of the best crashes I’ve seen!”  
“Dead gets boring, she likes accidents, sometimes she gets a new friend”  
“Well that's morbid as fuck” Carlos muttered, making Diego laugh.   
Carlos looked down at the car, Ivy was right, that was a wicked crash, the front of the car was buckled so badly he didn’t know where it held the engine. He turned away and walked back to the other side of the hill, he dropped to his butt and hauled his knees up to burry his face, he wasn’t sure if whatever he was could cry but he was going to find out.

Diego watched his cousin crumple to the ground, the kid really couldn’t catch a break he thought before snorting, him and Carlos were almost the same age now.

Carlos felt his cousin behind him and ignored him until two thin arms wrapped around his waist, he hadn’t thought Diego would be able to touch him. He felt the tears fall, while Diego let his chin rest on his cousin's shoulder.  
“Rinse your eyes out now, then you can play your favorite game, ask Diego for advice”  
“Don’t need advice, needed to die” Carlos muttered.  
“Yeah, that's the outlook of someone who doesn't need any help at all.”  
“Six years basically on my own, sorry if I’m not really optimistic anymore”  
“What about Evie?” Diego asked,  
“She's around, but I don’t know, sometimes she’s too kind. You never did that you’d be happy to tell me when I was being an asshole”  
“You were always an asshole”  
“Nah that’s Jay” Carlos said with a smile thinking of his date with the older boy.  
“What’s a Jay?” Diego asked.  
“Boyfriend.”  
“I wanna hear more.”  
“I met him at a party that Evie dragged me to, we just kinda clicked. He lives on his own cuz his dad runs a gang and basically makes my mother look alright. Evie started dating his best friend the same time, so we’re like one big fucked up family. I even live with them now, usually.”  
“Why we’re you out in her car then?”  
“I had a fight with Jay, he was driving and weaving around trucks and I flipped out, he didn’t know about the crash until the middle of the fight, but at that point we were both too pissed for it to matter, so I left and went home for a night or two. Ma woke up in the middle of the first night and starting ranting at me about uncle Cecil dying, and you guys and blaming me for all of it. I mean I know I’m guilty for you and Ivy but Cecil sure as hell wasn’t my fault”

Diego shuddered, he couldn’t believe that insane old harpy had led his little cousin to believe he was the cause of the crash, never mind his father's suicide.  
“Spot, you did not make us crash. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. If anyone is to blame it’s me for being a douchebag.” Diego said holding his cousin tighter as sobs shook his thin frame.  
“My fault, you wouldn’t have been on that part of the road if I wasn’t with you” Carlos told him.  
“I mighta been, I use to go past your house a lot, just because I could”.  
Carlos fell silent, he'd never considered that Diego could have crashed anyway.

 

Vanellope walked into the room and saw the three teens sleeping together on the bed, she smiled, they reminded her of her boyfriend and his friends always together, always touching. She walked over and kicked the leg of the bed, they dark haired boy was the first one awake, instantly tensing and looking around. The purple haired girl was a very close second, her hand flew to her pocket while she looked around wild eyed. The last was the girl with blue hair, she woke slowly and stretched before giving Vanellope a sleepy smile. Jay and Mal slowly relaxed seeing there wasn’t a threat in the room.  
“Morning” the blue haired gil said.  
“Good morning” Vanellope told her.

The girl frowned for a moment before saying, “oh we never told you our names!”  
“I suck at names” Vanellope said  
“We’re easy! I’m Evie, she’s Mal and he’s Jay”  
Vanellope looked surprised, “those are easy. You guys can call me Vee. Anyway your friend is in recovery now, the doctor will be up in a while to detail what was done, and will be done in the next few weeks. I’m going on lunch but I’ll be back in a while to check up on things.” Vanellope told them, “oh there is a picture on the table, the person at the crash saw it on the floor and thought it looked important, so they sent it with the ambulance driver to get it back to Carlos”  
“Thanks, enjoy your lunch!” Evie said, she knew the other two didn’t have a chance at manners right now.  
Jay stood up and Vanellope left the room. He grabbed the picture and frowned, “hey E, who are the kids with Carlos?” he asked handing her the torn picture.

“Oh my god” she gasped, trying to figure out why Carlos had that in the car and why it was torn. “That’s Diego and Ivy, Carlos is the little boy”  
“Holy shit, they could be twins” Mal said looking over Evie's shoulder.

The picture showed a thin teenager with shoulder length hair that was black at the roots but turned white near his ears, on his left hip he was holding a younger boy who was so thin he was nearly skeletal, his hair matched the older boys, black roots with white tips, but it was shorter, the longest strands just reaching the bottom of his ears. On the older boys right hip was a baby girl, she was skinny like the boys but still had a little baby fat to her cheeks. Her hair was split into pig-tails, one black one white, she had a mischievous grin on her face that made you wonder what she got up to right after the picture was taken. All three had on red shorts with black and white striped shirts.

“Why’d they dye the girls hair, she’s tiny!”  
“It’s not dye, it’s some genetic mutation, the boys hair grows black then turns white, girls seem to get half black half white, Carlos’s mom is the same.” Evie said, she’d asked the same thing when they were kids.  
“Hmm, I thought he bleached his hair” Mal said.  
“Nope, and if he cuts it short in a couple days the ends fade to brown, then blonde, then white, it takes like a month to go pure white; he hasn’t cut it short since Diego’s crash, I think maybe he noticed the look alike thing.” Evie told her.  
“So why is the picture ripped and why the hell did he have it with him?” Jay asked.  
“I don’t know, I can guess, but that’s all it is. I know the picture was still whole when I left yesterday.”  
“Well, you know him best, let's hear what the hell happened!” Mal said, she wanted the story.  
“My best guess is his mom found him staring at the picture again and tore it up; stealing her car and driving away at a high speed sounds like exactly what he’d do. She also has a habit of blaming him for the crash, and then his uncle committed suicide a couple months later, so he gets blamed for that too”

“Jesus fucking Christ” Jay muttered, every time he thought Carlos’s story couldn’t get any worse, it did.  
“Well if that’s his mother it’s safe to assume something like therapy never happened” Mal said  
“I make him talk, and he’ll get totally wasted on the anniversary of the crash, that’s it” Evie informed them  
“Great two of them that use alcohol rather than words” Mal said with a look to Jay.  
“Hey I use my words! Give me another shot is words!”  
Mal snorted and shoved him playfully.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprised to see this update? Me too!

A commotion near the door made all three look up, two nurses were wheeling in a bed, Carlos's distinctive hair just visible on it. Attached to the bed and the boy were varying machines beeping rhythmically.   
“Thanks, Cindy, I can handle it from here,” Vanellope told the other nurse with a smile. The blonde nurse walked out with a small wave.

“Baymax will be up in a couple moments, I'm required to hang here until he does,” Vanellope said, “You guys can get near him,” she said after no one moved. Finally, Evie stepped forward. “Just watch the machines they're finicky and make a god awful noise if you jar them”

Evie nodded and stepped up by Carlos's head, laying on the bed he looked healthy except for the machines and some cuts. “You. Fucking. Idiot,” she said, carefully pronouncing each word, they seemed loud in the nearly silent room. Mal moved to stand next to her, hitting someone in a coma didn't sound like something Evie would do, but Mal had never heard her sound like that before.  
“You started a damn fight, then went and did exactly what you were fighting over,” she shook her head.  
“It's okay, at least he'll be okay,” Jay said.  
“He's a hypocritical asshole,” Evie said before flopping back on the couch with her sketch book.  She wanted to be mad, she wanted to scream, yell and fight with Carlos, but his current condition prevented that leaving her utterly lost.

Jay hadn't moved from the couch and Mal was now standing awkwardly by Carlos's bed. At that moment Baymax walked in. He took in the room, a small smile never leaving his face.  
“Well Carlos here has certainly been through the wringer”

“Doc, lame jokes aside, the purple one seems like she has a short fuse,” Vanellope said. Mal smiled showing off her slightly pointed teeth.  
“Oh okay, Vee always ruins my fun. Carlos had a shattered tibia and fibula, the femur was fractured in three spots. We were able to basically rebuild it with metal rods The ones in his thigh will come out in time, but the ones in the lower leg are permanent. He will be on a ventilator for a few days while his lung heals, it had been punctured by a rib due to the impact with the steering wheel. A lot of bruising has to lead to some internal bleeding, but nothing of concern yet. His left arm was beyond repair, we had to amputate it. He has been close to consciousness a couple of times, however, at those times, we needed him to remain sedated. Since we've taken him off sedation he hasn't woken back up. We're assuming his body is in shock, despite the obviously old injuries, this is likely the most he's ever had go wrong simultaneously. He will go down for a P.E.T scan later today, we're waiting for the technician to come in” Baymax explained.

“So how long is he in for?”  
“If he wakes up soon, a few weeks. Potentially though it could be months” Baymax said.  
“Then therapy and things, he's in for a long recovery” Vanellope added  
“So we may as well get used to being here,” Mal said.  
“Yeah, like I said you'll get sick of seeing me,” Vanellope said.  
Baymax smiled at them, “The system still hasn't shown a parent for Carlos, I'm glad he has some form of family to support him. If you have any questions Vee can answer them or find me to ask them”  
“Okay,” Mal said, as Baymax and Vee left.  
“Evie, something you wanna tell us?” Mal asked as soon as the room was empty.  
“Their security here is like a wet tissue,” Evie said with a smile, “I edited their files from my cell phone”.

Four hours later a knock at the door interrupted their scheming, Maleficent walked in to see the three teens sitting on the fold out bed. All three had their hair back in messy ponytails with swollen eyes and wrinkled clothes.  
“Hi mom,” Mal and Jay said at once.  
“Oh, what the hell “ Evie muttered before giving Maleficent a huge smile and a  “Hi mom” of her own.  
“Hello urchins” Maleficent greeted with a small smile, “you three look like pure shit. I thought the fourth member of your gang would be here”  
“Not yet, he's down for a P.E.T scan, something about checking brain activity,” Mal said

“Good, get up. We’re going to get you coffee and food” Maleficent told them, none of them moved.  
“We’re not leaving yet,” Mal said.  
“Why not?”  
Mal shook her head no, Jay and Evie sat silent.  
Maleficent sighed, she understood the kids not wanting to leave, but they needed to take care of themselves as well.

“Okay, let’s do it this way, Mal you’re coming with me we’ll bring back food and coffee for everyone. Jay and Evie will stay here since they’re a bit closer to Carlos than you. Tomorrow I’ll make one of them leave.”  
Mal looked to her friends, Evie nodded and Jay gave her a small shove, she stood and stretched. She slipped her hand into her pocket and silently handed Jay her pocket knife, Evie looked at them, confusion clear on her face, but she didn’t question it.  
“I’ll be back as quick as I can,” Mal said softly following her mother out. They walked down the stairs, Mal heading into the hospital cafe when Maleficent gently grabbed her daughter's shoulder and lead her to the parking garage.  
“Why are we leaving?” Mal asked, ready to bolt back to Carlos’s room.  
“You’re gonna go home and get everyone some clean clothes, and maybe some pjs,   
then we’ll stop at Dunkin donuts for a box of coffee and a gas station for some junk food.”  
Mal nodded silently, she could understand why that was a good idea, but she didn’t like leaving.

“Why’d Mal give you a knife?” Evie asked, shortly after the door closed.  
“The door doesn’t have a lock,” Jay said as if that explained everything, seeing Evie was still confused, he kept talking. “We’re both a little paranoid about my dad and his goons, being in a basically public place in the same spot for an extended time, she wants me to be able to protect you and ‘Los if anyone tries to bother us I don’t really expect any trouble though”  
“Oh okay, I know a little about paranoia,” Evie said. They fell into silence waiting for either Mal or Carlos to get back.

Mal took their apartment stairs three at a time, she threw clothes for all of them into a bag, grabbing a pair of Carlos's pj's almost as an afterthought. She brought laptops for her and Jay and grabbed Evie's sketchbooks and pencils knowing the other girl would appreciate it. Leaving she slid down the banister to sit in her mom's car breathing hard.  
“You didn’t need to rush,” Maleficent said seeing her daughter had literally run through the house.  
“Wanna get back,” Mal said.  
Maleficent didn’t fully understand her daughter's friendship, she’d never been very close to anyone at all. Carlos was comatose, he didn’t know if his friends were with him or not. Despite that, she could see it was important to her daughter to be back quickly so she took the shortest route to the coffee shop.

Maleficent helped her daughter carry things up to Carlos’s room. Evie was staring out the window while Mal threw the bags on the folded couch. Mal started pulling things out when Jay stopped her with a gentle hand on her wrist. He gestured towards Evie, “she’s been there awhile” he said softly, Mal took the hint and walked over to her girlfriend. Evie was looking out the window, but her eyes were glazed clearly she was lost in thought. Mal wrapped her arms around her waist and put her chin on the slightly taller girl's shoulder. Evie leaned back into her and put her hands over Mal’s.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Mal said softly, her breath ghosting over Evie's ear. “He’s a hell of a kid, he’ll get through this”  
“I know,” Evie said, taking a deep breath. She knew everything would be okay in the end, but it was still scary. “I just never thought he’d go through something like this, the amputation maybe he’s pretty reckless, but not a coma”  
“Babe, stop worrying so much. He’s gonna come through this just fine. We’ll have a little while of this hospital shit then everything will go back to normal. Jay will work on cars, I’ll sleep, you’ll take over the fashion world and Carlos will annoy the fuck out of us all” Man Said smiling fondly, she pretended to be annoyed by the younger boy's antics, but everyone knew she enjoyed having him around.  
“I know” Evie repeated before turning in Mal’s arms, “do I smell coffee?”

Mal laughed, “sure do babe, I also brought your sketchbook and the laptops.”  
Evie smiled and kissed Mal before heading to get a cup of coffee, Maleficent leaned against the wall talking to Jay, upon seeing Evie getting her coffee she offered the girl a smile before asking,  “Are you okay now?”  
Evie nodded “I’m just over thinking things, nothing new”.  
“It’s natural to think a lot in circumstances like this. Personally, I’m thinking of ways to make Cruella suffer” the woman said with a smile.  
“Ruin her,” Evie said.  
“Obviously, I need the how part,” Maleficent said  
“She has a lot of furs, I doubt it’s all legal”  
“I doubt any of it is,” Evie said.  
“Can you get everything to pass to Carlos?” Mal asked  
“Of course” Maleficent smiled, showing sharp teeth in a nearly feral grin, “I think I will quite enjoy the process”

The door was pushed open to admit Vanellope pushing Carlos’s bed back into the room. Maleficent walked over to his bed, Mal watched her mother rest her hand on Carlos’ forehead, gently pushing back his hair.  
“I expect him to get the best care, forward the bills to me, Mal can give you the address and such” Maleficent told Vanellope.  
“Of course,” Vanellope said clearly off put by the intimidating woman.  
“Don’t worry Vee, she’s just really protective of her kids?” Mal said.  
“I thought you weren't his sister?”  
“I’m not, she’s not his mom in the exact same way,” Mal said with a small smile.

“Okay, well I‘ll leave you guys in peace, yell if you need anything,” Vanellope said walking to the door, a small chorus of bye and I will meet her ears as she slipped out.

A full month had passed, Carlos still hadn’t woken up. Evie had been forced to return to school, Jay had to work and Mal had to get out of the hospital before she lost her mind. So they settled into a routine, Mal spent the morning and early afternoon with Carlos, then Evie took over until night, Jay would then stay overnight into the morning when Mal returned once again. 

Vee had become a nearly constant fixture in their life, even stopping in when she wasn’t working. When they asked her why she explained that their story reminded them of her boyfriend Hiro, who had been more or less adopted by his older brothers friends when his brother had been killed in an explosion. She couldn’t imagine the three of them if Hiro was in Carlos’s place, so she wanted to be around for moral support.

Evie laid on the couch, she had on sweatpants and a baggy shirt, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail when Vee walked in. The other girl had abandoned her scrubs for a teal hoodie and jeans.  
“Hey E” she greeted, sitting on the end of the couch next to the blue haired girl.  
“Hey Vee, what's up?”  
“Killing time, I clock in at midnight,” she said.  
“Fun, ‘Los on your shift or no?”  
“Yeah, Baymax is pretty much making sure I keep him, something about other people being incompetent when the patient can’t bitch,” Vee said with a smile, some of her co-workers really didn’t work much.

Silence fell for a while before Evie spoke again, “Do you think he’ll ever wake up?”.  
“I want to scream yes, but if I’m being honest, I don’t know. All his scans are normal he should be awake, but he’s not. It’s dis-concerning. I think in the end he’ll wake up though, from what you guys have told me about him he will just to prove he can.”  
Evie smiled, when she spoke her voice sounded strained, “It’s hard to hear, but I’d rather hear the truth at this point. Everything he’s been through in life it’s almost good he’s getting a break from it all.”  
“That's an optimistic way to see it, Jay’s told me pretty much all of Carlos’s life story, it does sound like he needed a break, and that may be the only thing keeping him down at this point.”  
“Yeah” Evie agreed softly before grabbing her sketchbook, she’d had to buy another new one, she’d spent hours on end making new designs.

Jay sighed and sat on the edge of Carlos’s bed; Every night he did the same thing, he’d sit and hold Carlos’s hand and tell him about his day before giving him a kiss on the forehead and going to lay on the couch. He laced their fingers together and let his hand trail over the back of the freckled hand, looking at the freckles. He frowned as he noticed a faint brown blotch, near Carlos’ wrist, it looked familiar but he’d never noticed it before. He turned Carlos' hand gently to look at it better, it was faint, only really visible due to the bright lights of the hospital, it looked like two crossed bones. He touched the mark faintly, he knew he had seen it before, he just couldn’t remember where. With a sigh, he started talking about his day, telling Carlos how he’d smashed his fingers in the hood of a car and dropped a ratchet on his foot.

Laying on the couch Jay continued to think about the odd mark on Carlos’s wrist, it had to be a birthmark, despite the odd shape. Jay was almost asleep when it hit him.

Jay sat in the warehouse his father used as an office, informed to stay in one corner and let the adults talk. A thin woman with frizzy black and white hair had walked in, a small boy at her side, she quickly sent the boy over to him before walking behind a shelf with his father. The boy walked over to him and sat on the ground, he didn’t say a word just stared into space.  
“Hey I’m Jay,” Jay told him.  
“Carlos, my cousin calls me Spot though”  
“I can see why,” Jay remarked, the other boy had a ton of freckles.  
“Yeah”  
“You got some dirt on your wrist,” Jay said, he was often coated in grime, but this boy seemed clean.  
Carlos looked to his wrist and shook his head, “it’s not dirt, see?” he asked rubbing the mark before holding his arm out to show the other boy.  
“Cool, I don’t have any marks like that, just some scars”  
“I have those too,” Carlos said.   
“Wanna play cards?” Jay asked, pulling a deck seemingly out of thin air, Carlos nodded.  
The two spent a few hours talking and play cards before their parents re-appeared.  
Carlos’s mother clicked her tongue as if calling a dog, Carlos stood and rushed to her side without another word to Jay the two left.

Jay and often wondered about the other boy, he never saw him again despite fairly frequent visits from his mother. Once he thought about asking the woman where her son was but decided against it, his father didn’t like him talking to his clients.

“Mother fucker” Jay muttered into his pillow, he’d stopped thinking of that boy after a while. He’d only been about eight when they met. Now he was thinking about him again, “wake the fuck up ‘Los” he muttered into his pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know where the story ends, I just need to figure out how to get there; I'm thinking three or four more chapters should wrap it up. Obviously my updating schedule is non-existent. Thank you all for being patient with me while I work through life and writing. Comments and kudos are my favorite things in the world, just saying!


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